With limited resources, Lexington city leaders are considering a new strategy in converting neighborhood street sidewalk curbs into Americans with Disabilities compliant ramps. Lexington council members were briefed on paving issues this week.
Lexington Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner Nancy Albright says a U.S. Department of Justice order requires cities to made sidewalk curb ramp modifications. The modified ramps include metal friction pads. Albright said improvements were being at the same time as scheduled new pavement projects.
“When you’ve got adequate funding, that’s a great plan. But, we’ve being doing that for a few years and right now we don’t have adequate funding so as we move forward we’re going to try to make sure we’re addressing our higher priority areas maybe first,” said Albright.
Albright noted it’s not known exactly how many sidewalk curb ramps have undergone modifications in Lexington. She says that type of review would be beneficial.
The upcoming year will find significantly less new pavement going down in Lexington neighborhoods. Financial constraints are forcing city officials to make decisions about priority paving. A Lexington council committee reviewed options last week. Albright said more highly traveled collector streets will likely get more attention. “Allow us to put some extra work on the collector roads that will help serve more citizens because of the fact that more people drive on them. Rather than spending the limited funds we have scattered all over town and not helping very many people at all,” explained Albright.
The mayor’s budget calls for five million dollars in paving work. The figure was eight million for the current fiscal year and even higher previous to that. Council Member Bill Farmer remarked during the committee meeting, quote, “with so little money we’ve got to take care of big things everybody drives on rather than little things that might be in each individual district.”?
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