As part of continued efforts to reduce potential flooding issues in the Pensacola Street / Woodward Street vicinity, the City of Tallahassee implemented the Pensacola Street Stormwater Outfall Project.

To address residents' reports of street and yard flooding that, at times, has entered parking structures, staff studied the existing hydrologic and hydraulic conditions of the area to develop options for addressing these issues. The selected plan consisted of constructing a new large storm drain to capture runoff and convey it underground to the main drainage system near Doak Campbell Stadium. This will reduce stormwater runoff during heavy rainfall and minimize street, yard and potential downstream flooding. The first segment of the project was constructed in summer 2017 and provided enhancements to the main drainage system at Varsity Drive and along Pensacola Street to Walker Street.

Work was completed in August 2020 on Segments 2 and 3 of the project, which continues down Pensacola Street from Walker Street to Lorene Street then continues up Lorene Street to Jefferson Street and finishes in Jefferson Street. In addition to enhancing the main drainage system, several high-capacity stormwater inlets were also constructed along Jefferson Street near Lorene Street. Additionally, underground water and sewer pipes along the project corridor were upgraded to replace aging infrastructure and ensure customers can continue to receive reliable, high quality service well into the future, which is critical as this area of town continues to grow.

For additional information, please contact Jamie Freeman, P.E., with the City of Tallahassee's Water Resources Engineering Division at 850-891-2751 or benjamin.freeman@talgov.com.