By Grayson Keglovic
After several pedestrian accidents and deaths, Escambia County and the city of Pensacola listened to the citizens in their communities’ concerns, realizing that historic West Jackson Street needs to be safer.
Reimagine Jackson Street is the city and county’s master plan to revitalize the street that connects diverse and residential citizens from Fairfield Drive to A Street. The plan focuses on making the street more pleasing to the eyes and safer for those traveling on the road. After the public vocalized their concerns at a public workshop at Brownsville Community Center on May 24, it became clear that safety needed to be prioritized over appearances.
Attendees touched on motor vehicle and pedestrian crashes, drainage problems, and lack of lighting. Pensacola City Councilman Delarian Wiggins appeared on WCOA this morning.
The councilman believes a dramatic change to Jackson Street’s infrastructure is long overdue. He said, “The city and the county have come together to really tackle this issue and work towards a viable solution.”
Wiggins said the proposed bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and traffic calming devices are among the new developments that will ensure the safety of those walking, riding, or driving on the busy street.
“I think it’s going to be very impactful,” Wiggins said. “They took the time out to really listen to what the community wanted and then to actually put it to paper. They did a tremendous job with it.”
According to Wiggins, the city and county’s next step in moving the project forward is the plans drawn to rework the street’s infrastructure.
“What it boils down to now is the funding, where will the funding come and what will look like and how long this project will take to start implementing,” Wiggins said.
Wiggins continued, “The county is doing everything possible to really move this project forward.”
Check out this week’s Inweekly for more on the Reimagine Jackson workshop. The story will go live at 11 a.m. tomorrow and will hit the stands Thursday morning.