Medians project 99% complete

St. Armands Circle Business Improvement District (BID) Chairman Marty Rappaport announced Tuesday that a $450,000 Circle median project is 99% complete.

The project installed sidewalks along the Circle’s four medians, which now allows motorists to exit there and walk down the center of the median to the pedestrian crosswalks near the center of the circle. This feature is expected to address concerns expressed at traffic workshops about pedestrians exiting their vehicles and jaywalking, which creates potential hazards.

All of the medians were completely overhauled, with new benches and new landscaping that includes shade trees.

The project, which was supposed to be complete before Thanksgiving, is wrapping up now because of permitting delays from the Florida Department of Transportation.

“It was worth the suffering, the delays and all the complaints,” Rappaport said. “The complainers are now saying: ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’”

It’s the goal of the BID to have the contractor remove the barricades and portable bathrooms no later than Dec. 23.

The city is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the medians and new landscaping for the current fiscal year.