Northwest Tallahassee residents reviewed Blueprint's plans to upgrade Tharpe Street with sidewalks, trails, and safety improvements.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Tallahassee neighbors review plans to upgrade Tharpe Street corridor fo r safetyNorthwest Tallahassee residents got their first look at plans to upgrade a major 2.6-mile corridor along Tharpe Street during a public meeting Thursday hosted by Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency.The Northwest Connector Corridor Tharpe Street Project covers the stretch from Ocala Road to Capital Circle Northwest.Attendees reviewed displays, spoke with project staff, and submitted comments about how the area could be improved.Safety concerns dominated the discussion, particularly the lack of sidewalks along the busy street."You can always see kids walking and you're just hoping and praying that they don't get hit," said one neighbor.Billy Auguste, a neighbor and business owner with Reach One Youth Organization, emphasized the need for better infrastructure."What we're looking for in this project is just more visibility and safety in general. So it would make sense to put sidewalks," Auguste said.Martha Hodgson, the senior project manager for Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, said the improvements will focus on traffic operations and pedestrian safety."The need for sidewalks along Tharpe Street is no secret. You can drive along it. Pick a day. Come drive anytime, and I think anyone would see that there are people. They're walking along the street today whether there are sidewalks or not, so providing sidewalks on this corridor is a need. And I think the community recognizes that," Hodgson said.The plans include about nine miles of new trail and sidewalk connectivity, improved access to Old Bainbridge County Park and Stoneler Road County Park. Crews also want to address the stormwater system.Construction is set to happen in phases to reduce traffic and utility disruptions while prioritizing the most needed improvements first.Blueprint expects the complete project to take about 10 years, though Hodgson hopes some critical improvements can be addressed in the next three years."We're looking at moving into the design phase this summer, which is a couple of year process to get designed and permitting and then to get funding for the project to complete the whole corridor. You know, that could be five, ten years or more in the future," Hodgson said.Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency officials say public comments from the meeting will help shape the final plans.Neighbors can still review details and submit input through the project website.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytimeLike us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less