Southwest Ninth Street has been named the Sunshine State’s 2015 Project of the Year by the Florida chapter of the American Public Works Association in the ‘under $5 million transportation’ category, according to a news release from the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency.
The roadway, which boasts cypress trees and slate-gray stripes, “stands out as Innovation Square’s signature corridor,” the news release stated.
The Southwest Ninth Street and Southwest Third Avenue project, which was led by the local CRA, opened last summer. That particular corridor ended up laying the groundwork for both Innovation Square’s utility grid as well as for public access.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts at the state level – and to see the community truly embrace this project as their own,” CRA Director Anthony Lyons said in the news release. “The intersection has already become a stage for karate practices, metal sculpture exhibitions, job fairs, food truck rallies and more.”
These streets bisect a lot that totals 16 acres where the plan is to bridge the main University of Florida campus and downtown Gainesville with a research park. An adjoining entrepreneurial residence hall (five stories, $23 million) will open in August and will offer enough dorm space for just over 300 students.
For more information, check out the news release or visit the CRA website.