Sidewalks to Be Added to 717 City Blocks

Because the city cannot afford to do all of the sidewalk work that is needed at one time, the City Council this week prioritized 717 blocks that need it most.

Building the sidewalks in all the areas that need the work would cost $17.2 million, the city says. And that figure doesn’t include relocating utilities and acquiring right-of-ways from property owners.

The action on Monday followed a review of a study on missing sidewalks the council commissioned in February.

First on the list is installing walkways around hospitals, schools and senior citizen facilities. Next are public buildings and parks, arterial highways, multi- and single-family residential districts and industrial zones.

This year’s budget includes about $200,000 in Measure M sales tax revenue allocated for sidewalks. An additional $390,000 in federal grants will help build and repair sidewalks in low- to moderate-income areas.