Sidewalks 101: Building and Maintenance
The number one issue I hear about from constituents is infrastructure and traffic. That is why it is my top priority on City Council. Sidewalks and multi-use paths are a key part of infrastructure and getting cars off the road. Part of my vision for James Island is a fully connected network of sidewalks and multi-use paths where people can safely walk and bike. So, let’s talk sidewalks.
Unfortunately, sidewalks are incredibly expensive to build. And, the City has no budget dollars allocated to sidewalks. So how do we get funding? Each year the City can apply for dollars from the half-cent sales tax (another reason why we need to pass it in November!) or gas tax funds. Unfortunately, with a priority list of over 200 sidewalk requests, this path is slow moving. That’s why I have been working closely with our State Representatives on state dollars to build new sidewalks. We are excited to announce some big wins on Secessionville and Nabors Dr soon!
So that leaves maintenance. Once we build sidewalks, we can’t let them deteriorate. We need to make sure they are cleared of dirt and vegetation, and where they have cracked or risen from tree roots, we must address it, so they remain safe and accessible.
Unfortunately, like most things on James Island, who has responsibility is incredibly complicated. After many conversations, I’ve developed the following “cheat-sheet” to help us with maintenance going forward:
As a loose rule of thumb, the entity that owns the road, is responsible for sidewalk maintenance. So for our sidewalks on Camp Road, Harbor View Rd, Dills Bluff and Folly Road that are in dire need of clearing, that falls to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. DOT has committed to quarterly maintenance on Folly Road and Harbor View Rd, but most other requests are evaluated on an ad hoc basis. This is a matter of capacity and resources – if we want DOT to have more staff and resources to do regular maintenance, please ask your State Representatives about sending more funding to DOT.
The exception to this rule on James Island is Fort Johnson Road where the County has responsibility for most of the sidewalk maintenance, and recently did an excellent job with repaving and clearing. This sidewalk is on a two-year inspection cycle. Another exception is the board walk along Dills Bluff which is maintained by the Town. The maintenance responsibility exceptions typically come from when an entity wants to move forward with a sidewalk and DOT has not fully signed-off on the project.
If a neighborhood and the street is in the City, then the City is responsible for the infrastructure (or “concrete”) maintenance. However, maintaining vegetation adjacent to the sidewalk is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. That means if you have a sidewalk next to your property, please be sure that you include that in your yard maintenance! An HOA would maintain sidewalk infrastructure if the road is private. The City’s budget for sidewalk repairs and maintenance includes:
$450K sidewalk repairs
$300K historical sidewalk repairs
$275K construction supplies
If the road is a County owned road, but the adjoining properties are in the Town (like on Grand Concourse), then the Town is responsible for maintenance.
The best resource to navigate this complexity is the City’s sidewalk maintenance GIS map. There is a “street maintenance” and “maintenance comments” section shown when you click on the sidewalk. Remember, the best rule of thumb is that the responsibility for maintenance is associated with the owner of the street.
We can also all do our part by understanding the “right-of-way.” Any trees, bushes, flowers planted in the “right-of-way” (for example the space between the road and sidewalk) should be done in consultation with the City.
Of course, if you have questions or an area, please just send me a picture with an address and I can help submit the request to the right entity and follow-up!
As a final thought – I’m sure many of you are thinking, “there has to be a better way.” I am a firm believer that one jurisdiction should have control over roads and all associated maintenance. While there was an effort at the State House to give municipalities control of our roads, it did not come with the necessary funding for maintenance. I hope that the State House will re-examine SCDOT modernization and give municipalities the funding we need to create a better system.