Charlottesville Overview
June 23, 2015
Response from:
City of Charlottesville, VA, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator
Response format: Phone interview
Where does funding come from?
The City of Charlottesville funds sidewalk maintenance and new construction. They also seek grants for new construction. Once the sidewalks are built, the city maintains them. The general fund revenues pay for repair. They obtained $400,000 for sidewalk repair and curb ramp upgrades each year. Anything greater than ¼” lift gets attention. This is not enough money. Contact was not sure what percentage of sidewalks are currently in good repair or if this fund has been in place for a long time.
The review of the City budget and 2015-2019 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) revealed that Charlottesville is spending about $1,057,109 per year on specific pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
While Charlottesville’s current spending rate is high relative to many other walking and bicycling friendly communities, increasing pedestrian and bicycle spending would help fund the recommendations in this Plan Update.
How is it implemented?
There is a combination of proactive hazard repair inventory taken every two years, and complaints called in by citizens. If an injury occurs, there is a tendency to address the problem sooner. Streets that are up for repaving get prioritized too. The City has a few hundred miles of sidewalk. Many problems are caused by tree roots heaving the sidewalks.
How are repair and maintenance sites prioritized?
The City contracts with an organization that tours the streets on segways and makes notes of all sidewalk hazards. They go back with a crew immediately and address the problem areas. They sand down lifts over ¼” and work with crews to do full removal or replacement.
Trees are fast growing in Charlottesville, and work often needs to be re-done. They can’t address everything because things are constantly changing.