The city of Cincinnati has undergone much recent construction, whether it is Dana Avenue or sidewalk repair
between housing properties. The sidewalk repairs began
in an effort to increase safety in Norwood. The Sidewalk Safety Program is a major infrastructure program. The Cincinnati Municipal Code (CMC) defines sidewalks as
“…the portion of a street lying between the established
or presumable curb line and the adjacent property line; the portion set aside for pedestrian use.” Generally, sidewalks are made up of three elements: walk, driveway and sod
space. These components vary in width and location.
Business districts normally do not have sod space and
may have fewer driveways. Unimproved streets typically
do not have walks. The type of walk and driveway
construction varies. For example, in the Central Business
District structural slabs cover basement areas extending into
the public right-of-way; recent construction has placed
a “topping ” of clay pavers on these slabs. In neighborhood business districts, unistone pavers have recently been used in lieu of concrete. However, the vast majority of walks and driveways are of plain concrete construction. While no comprehensive inventory currently exists, we estimate there are 1,700 miles of improved sidewalk space (i.e.,
frontages with paved walk and driveway surfaces) within the city of Cincinnati. To bring the size of these facilities
into perspective, we estimate there are an estimated 2,000 acres of walks, sod space and driveways throughout the city. On average, it costs more that $130,000 to construct one mile of sidewalk and driveway on each side of a street.
Due to many factors, these facilities must be periodically replaced to promote public safety. Responsibility for constructing and maintaining sidewalk space is shared by property owners and the city. The City Engineer is responsible for supervising sidewalk construction, reconstruction or repair. City Capital funding is used
to repair walks at intersections, bus stops and abutting property controlled by General Fund City agencies.
These repairs were done with the purpose of increasing the
safety of both residents and visitors to the Cincinnati area.