Pensacola expects to reopen part of Palafox Street to pedestrians next week, a sign that the most disruptive phase of the city’s roughly $10 million downtown rebuild is nearing its final stretch.
Mayor D.C. Reeves said Tuesday the city was looking to reopen the Romana block of Palafox — the northernmost block of the project, near Vinyl Music Hall and Garden Street — to pedestrians only about a week before the incentive date for finishing the main Palafox corridor.
Major downtown events, however, will remain on Jefferson Street for now. Reeves said the May 15 Gallery Night may be the last one rerouted because of the project. The May 29 Fiesta Parade also will remain on Jefferson, a decision Reeves attributed to the planning required for a large parade rather than a missed construction deadline.
“The May 29th Fiesta Parade will also run on Jefferson even though technically the project should be done by then,” Reeves said.
The New Palafox project began in January under an accelerated construction schedule intended to reduce the length of disruption to downtown businesses. City officials have described the project as a long-needed infrastructure rebuild, not simply a streetscape beautification effort.
The project covers four blocks of South Palafox Street, between Garden and Main streets. It is intended to address chronic stormwater drainage problems, improve accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act and make the corridor safer and more inviting for pedestrians.
That approach drew concern from downtown merchants last year, who said they generally supported improving Palafox but worried months of construction, restricted access and parking disruptions could hurt small businesses. City officials, meanwhile, argued the broader reconstruction would allow Pensacola to address stormwater, accessibility and safety problems at the same time it repaired pavement affected by Florida Power & Light’s undergrounding work.
The construction contract included an early-completion incentive aimed at minimizing disruption. Earlier, WUWF coverage reported the incentive structure included a 10% bonus for finishing by May 24, a smaller bonus for completion by mid-June and liquidated damages of $1,000 per day after July 4.
Reeves’ latest update suggests the city may be approaching the optimistic end of that schedule for the Palafox portion of the work. The expected May 12 reopening would be limited: Reeves did not say the street would reopen to vehicles that week, nor that the full New Palafox project would be complete.
Work on nearby side streets will continue after the main Palafox corridor reaches its incentivized completion date. The project website lists later work windows for nearby side streets, with Romana and Intendencia scheduled from June to September, Government and Zarragossa from July to November, and full completion in November.
Reeves said a final walkthrough and punch-list assembly were scheduled for Wednesday. In construction, a punch list is the final list of fixes, corrections, or remaining work identified before a project is closed out. The city expects to transition construction fencing on May 11 to the east side streets as that work begins.
Reeves said he and his family have continued visiting businesses along the corridor during construction and said the project remains on schedule.
“I know they're very excited about not only how it's looking but that we're on track with time,” Reeves said.
