Cost
Who Pays for Growth? You Do.
While developers fund many project-specific improvements, taxpayers often bear the long-term costs of maintaining and expanding the infrastructure needed to support growth.
Roads
Water & Sewer
Stormwater Systems
Utilities
Emergency Services
Long Term Maintenance
What Developers & Homebuyers Contribute to a Development
Developers typically pay to construct roads, utilities, and other infrastructure within a development. New residents pay utility rates, fire service fees, and property taxes. Those payments help fund some of the infrastructure and services needed to support growth.
Taxpayers Pick Up the Tab for Maintenance
The contribution made by developers and homeowners doesn’t cover every long-term cost. Roads eventually must be resurfaced or widened, parks and public facilities must be maintained, police and fire services may need to expand, and major regional infrastructure improvements are often funded through taxpayers, sales taxes, or other public revenue sources.
If a Development Requires a Road to Be Added or Widened, Who Pays the Cost?
If a new development pushes a road beyond its capacity, you might assume the developer pays to widen it. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. The developer is only required to pay for the additional traffic their project creates—not the full cost of widening the road, even if their development is what made the expansion necessary in the first place.
If that sounds unfair to taxpayers, consider this: Instead of writing a check, developers often meet their obligation by granting the government the right-of-way needed to build or widen the road. Because the property is worth much more after the government approves higher-density development, their out-of-pocket cost can end up being little or nothing—leaving taxpayers to pay for constructing the road the development made necessary in the first place.
Meridian Will Require a Major Public Investment
No public estimate exists for expanding Meridian Road because no engineering study has been done. However, the Bannerman Road project provides a useful benchmark for the scale, cost, and timeline taxpayers could face.
Case Study: Bannerman Road Expansion By The Numbers
21
Years to Complete
Became a Blue Print project: 2014
Estimated completion: 2035
$164.7 M
to Build…So Far
The estimated cost has increased by approximately $5 million since 2025 alone
395%
Increase in Cost
Costs have risen from 33.3 million to nearly $165 million due to scope increases and inflation
4.6
Miles in Length
From Thomasville Road to Meridian Road
2
Lanes of Capacity Will Be Added
Along with storm water, sidewalks, etc.
Why Expanding Meridian Will Likely Cost Significantly More
More Than a Widening
Canopy road protections will likely require construction of a parallel road rather than simply widening
Far More Constrained
Existing homes and driveways leave far less room to expand without property impacts
Surrounded by Wetlands
Wetlands can require bridges, culverts, stormwater facilities, and environmental mitigation, adding both cost and complexity
Far More Environmentally Sensitive
Greater environmental protections can make construction more complex and expensive
Every Dollar Spent on One Project Can’t Be Spent on Another
If Meridian Road eventually requires a costly expansion, those funds will have to come from somewhere—potentially delaying or reducing investment in parks, sidewalks, trails, stormwater improvements, or other transportation projects.
Expensive Infrastructure Projects Come at a Cost to Other Parts of Our City
When it comes to infrastructure, funding is finite. When major projects receive the lion’s share of available dollars, other projects often see their scope reduced, their timelines extended, or both.
Case Study:
A Tale of Two Priorities
Tharpe Street and Bannerman Road illustrate the difficult choices communities face when infrastructure funding is limited. Both became Blueprint projects in 2014 but have since followed dramatically different paths. The timeline below shows how changes in scope, cost, and funding priorities shaped their outcomes.
Study Calls for Tharpe Street Expansion
PURPOSE: Expand Capacity & Pedestrian Safety
Corridor study recommends widening Tharpe Street (between Ocala Road to Capital Circle NW) to four lanes with sidewalks and bike lanes after identifying congestion and pedestrian safety concerns, including children walking dangerously close traffic due to no sidewalks
Tharpe Street Design Stalls Due to Funding
Design reaches 60%; but work stops due to funding constraints
Study Calls for Bannerman Road Expansion
PURPOSE: Expand Capacity & Accomodate Future Growth
Corridor study evaluates future traffic needs and recommends widening portions of Bannerman Road to improve congestion and mobility
Voters Approve Blue Print Projects
Northwest Connector (Tharpe Street Project)
Initial Estimate: $53.2 Million
Northeast Corridor Connector (Bannerman Road Project)
Estimate: $33.3 Million
Study Calls for Bannerman Road Expansion
Project is expanded to widen a longer portion of Bannerman Road. The scope also includes:
- A median and turn lanes
- Sidewalks in adjacent neighborhoods
- A large roundabout at Bannerman Road and Orchard Pond Parkway
- The Meridian Greenway shared use trail on Meridian (from Forest Meadows to Orchard Pond Parkway)
- A 1.5 mile extension of the Orchard Pond Trail from Meridian to the current Orchard Pond trailhead
Tharpe Street Scope Reduced
Project scope reduced after determining two lanes are no longer needed. Now the project primarily focuses on adding sidewalks and turn lanes.
Bannerman Construction Set to Begin in 2026 While Tharpe Street Awaits Funding
Bradfordville Road Phase I Construction Scheduled to Begin in 2026 and finish in 2035
Estimated Cost: $164.7 Million
Cost Increase: 395%
Tharpe Street Awaiting Construction Funding
Project design and engineering studies completed; but the project still awaits additional investment before construction can begin.
Estimated construction start: Unknown
Estimated Cost: $62.3 Million
Cost Increase: 17%
One Expensive Project Can Crowd Out Others
When major road projects cost hundreds of millions of dollars, fewer dollars remain available for parks, sidewalks, trails, placemaking, and other community priorities.
Blue Print Major Roadway Capacity Projects
Of the proposed $148.6 million FY2026–2030 Blueprint capital program, approximately $88.6 million (about 60%) is allocated to just three major corridor projects: Welaunee Boulevard, Bannerman Road, and Airport Gateway.
The most recent cost estimates for these three projects exceeds half a billion dollars.
60 Cents
of Every Blue Print Dollar
has been committed to these three projects alone
When a member of the Blueprint Technical Coordinating Committee was asked if it was the agency’s job to deliver a balanced budget, he responded:
“
:— June 11, 2026 Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency Budget Workshop Meeting | Time stamp 53 mins | Link
Bottom Line
Growth isn’t free. When development outpaces infrastructure, taxpayers—not developers—are often left funding the roads, utilities, and long-term improvements needed to support it.