LA City Council Approve Motion To Repair Backlog Of Broken Sidewalks
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles City Council members Wednesday set into motion a $1.4 billion plan to repair a backlog of broken sidewalks throughout the city.
City officials plan to spend the funds, which average around $30 million a year, over the next three decades to fix about 11,000 miles of sidewalks.
The amount was agreed to as part of a legal settlement with disability advocates.
According to the City Council, the number of damaged sidewalks began piling up more than 40 years ago when city leaders saddled themselves with the responsibility of fixing broken sidewalks damaged by tree roots, but soon ran out of funding to finish the job.
Over the years, the question of who is responsible for the condition of the sidewalks remained in dispute as the state law states the task of maintaining sidewalks belongs to adjacent property owners.
Council members adopted a "fix-and-release" strategy that includes repealing a law that makes the city responsible for the repairs, while also committing to paying for the entire expense of one-time repairs on broken sidewalks next to both residential and commercial properties.
Officials will begin rolling out several sidewalk repair programs starting in December.
Repairs would be scheduled according to properties laid out in the lawsuit settlement.
Sidewalks located next to transportation corridors, government facilities, and medical buildings are among the top priorities. But other factors could influence when repairs are scheduled.
Property owners who are willing to pay for part of the repair costs could also move their repairs up in the queue.
A rebate program will be available for three years that will reimburse property owners half of the repair costs, officials explained.
To file a sidewalk repair request, click here.
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