Austin Overview
June 30, 2015
Response from:
Project Manager, Street and Bridge Sidewalks and Special Projects Division
Public Works Department, City of Austin
Response format: Email response
Where does funding come from?
In Austin, maintenance is the City’s responsibility, except for the driveway apron portion, which is the landowner’s responsibility. This is largely a “theoretical responsibility” because there is no enforcement program. New development/redevelopment is responsible for constructing sidewalks on their frontages at time of site development. The City has a bond funded program that constructs 10 – 12 miles of new sidewalks to address gaps in the existing system where redevelopment is unlikely to address the problem. The Land Development Code was changed in 1995 to remove landowner responsibility for sidewalk maintenance.
How is it implemented?
http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Public_Works/Sidewalk_Master_Plan.pdf The City has a sidewalk master plan, which defines a scoring system for identifying priorties for sidewalk installation, maintenance and repair.