Alexandria Will Fix Your Sidewalks (Just ask)

Is your sidewalk raised by a tree root? As crumbly as a good crumb cake? Perhaps a combination of the two? I had great response by the Transportation and Environmental Services Street Maintenance Section when reporting broken sidewalks. Their responsibilities are listed here:

The Street Maintenance Section is responsible for repairing all sidewalks, curbs and gutters, pavement areas in the public right of way. In addition this Section is responsible for snow removal, pothole patching, guardrail, fence and barrier repairs, as well as bike path and trail repairs on request.

It hasn't been more than a week since I reported some problem areas in the Hume Springs neighborhood and today I noticed spray paint identifying the areas to be replaced. I'm going to think positive thoughts and hope they follow up with the actual replacement almost as quickly.

There are many dollars that were promised Arlandria that have yet to be spent, but this is one way for us to get some of our just desserts. Be vocal, ask for things to get fixed or attention to be paid, and you'd be surprised how far that can go. If nothing else, it lets the city know that there are people in the neighborhood that care enough to speak up. We'll follow up on Capital Improvement Program dollars that have been designated for Arlandria that have been sitting on the shelf for years.

First things first. If you have a broken square or a whole block that is badly in need of repair, report it (problem reporting form). It only takes a minute to fill out, and, as I've said, I've seen good results so far. Thanks T&ES department!

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UPDATE: The City repaired about two hundred feet of sidewalk along West Glebe back in March where water had been pooling for quite a while. The repair occurred about two week after using the online report form. In April, about a dozen locations with broken, missing, and raised (in excess of 2 inches) sidewalks were repaired within a week and a half (and that included rain delays).

All of this is the fall-out of just a few people getting together and deciding to roll up their sleeves and clean-up the neighborhood, not just with hard labor, but by putting their minds to it. The bottom line, it's not really any one persons job to look for problems. But with a lot of folks keeping an eye on things, things get done.