If it seems like there’s been a lot of sidewalks getting fixed lately, well, there has been.
The city of Springfield expects to spend $900,000 repairing and replacing sidewalks this year, an increase of about $200,000 over last year, according to public works director Mark Mahoney.
“It’s a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket,” Mahoney says.
Estimates to bring every sidewalk up to snuff range as high as $30 million, Mahoney says. The city will likely come up with another estimate, he said, given that a sales-tax increase approved by the city council a few months ago will bring in millions of dollars for improvements to infrastructure, including sidewalks.
“Next year, we anticipate tripling what we’re doing on sidewalks,” Mahoney said.
This article appears in Sep 26 – Oct 2, 2013.
