Northwest Commissioners to Review Sidewalk Repair Program, 11,000 Fixes In

The City’s Public Works Dept. will review Pasadena’s comprehensive sidewalk repair program before Northwest Commissioners at their Tuesday meeting. The repair program is aimed at minimizing the city’s liability and maximizing pedestrian access. 

Ina presentation prepared ahead of the meeting the Department of Public Works said it has adopted a three-pronged approach to managing the repairs that includes routine citywide sidewalk maintenance, Citizen Service Center (CSC) requests to look into specific locations, and so-called ‘private capital’ sidewalk repairs (paid for by property owners).

The Annual Sidewalk Repair Program and the Annual ADA Sidewalk Improvement Program have been Council-approved Capital Improvement Projects since fiscal year 2016, with $12.9 million appropriated to date, including $9 million from the General Fund and $3.9 million from the Community Development Block Grant Fund.

Over 18,000 damaged sidewalk locations were inventoried in a 2015 citywide survey, with 11,000 already reconstructed, and approximately 1,000 locations remaining in Districts 1 and 3.

Locations for reconstruction are prioritized based on criteria such as high-traffic volume streets, high pedestrian routes, highest vertical deviation of the sidewalk, and ADA-related citizen complaints. The prioritization criteria were established by the Accessibility and Disability Commission and presented to the City Council.

The General Fund Project has a budget of $2 million and aims to improve 2,000 sidewalk locations citywide, with work starting in August 2022 and set to be completed by April 2023. The CDBG Grant Project, with a budget of $500,000, will start in mid-February and is expected to be completed by the end of May 2023. The project will cover 430 locations in Districts 1 and 3 and will be performed by City crews utilizing MASH employee assistance.

CSC requests for sidewalk repairs can be made by residents via phone call, smartphone app, or online. City yard crews will generally install a temporary asphalt patch within one week of receiving the request, and then notify the engineering division. After patching, the adjacent property owner will receive a letter as required under City Code 12.04.030.

Private capital sidewalk repairs are required by Pasadena Municipal Code Section 12.04.031 for any work in excess of $20,000 or at the time of a home sale. Property owners are required to pay an established sidewalk fee based on the square footage estimated to be replaced by the inspection. Funds acquired from these fees are used to fund the Private Capital Sidewalk Project and replace the sidewalks with a City-hired contractor. This mechanism produces funding of $250,000 to $450,000 annually, equivalent to 12,500 to 25,000 square-feet of sidewalk replacement.

The current methods of sidewalk repair include asphalt patching and sidewalk replacement. An alternative method, sidewalk grinding or saw-cutting, is recommended for locations with uplift less than 1.75 inches, as it allows for the repair of three times the locations compared to full replacement. The use of alternative methods is recommended to repair sidewalks without increasing the annual appropriation.

The presentation is scheduled to be made to the Northwest Commission on Tuesday, February 14 at 6:30 p.m., at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena.