In an effort to create a more walkable downtown, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward is looking to reconnect Government Street to Ninth Avenue near Bayfront Parkway. The mayor will take the issue before the Pensacola City Council next week.
“Dead-ends don’t belong in downtowns,†said Mayor Hayward in a released statement.
Currently, Government Street dead-ends just west of Ninth Avenue. The street has been disconnected since Phase II of Bayfront Parkway was completed in the 1980s.
“Reopening East Government Street to Ninth Avenue will provide another point of access for nearby residents and businesses, as well as new pedestrian connections to the waterfront,†Hayward said in the statement. “The Seville Historic District is one of Pensacola’s oldest and most historic areas, and as America’s first European settlement, we should embrace that history, not barricade it.â€
As part of this project, the city is aiming to add a sidewalk on the west side of Ninth Avenue. The sidewalk will be connected to existing sidewalks, and will connect Bayfront Parkway and Admiral Mason Park. If city council approves the project, work should begin in early April and completed by mid-May.