City of Austin finishes sidewalk program funded by 2016 bond

AUSTIN (KXAN) – City of Austin leaders said Wednesday work is done on a sidewalk program funded by a $720 million bond voters approved in 2016.

According to the city announcement, the sidewalk program was finished one year ahead of schedule. Over the past six years, the city said it spent $37.5 million in 2016 bond money building or repairing more than 56 miles of sidewalk.

As KXAN reported in July, there are approximately 2,800 miles’ worth of existing sidewalks within the city network, with roughly 1,500 miles of gaps existing.

Since the Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department (ATPWD)’s last update six years ago, the city has increased its sidewalks network from 2,400 miles to 2,800 miles.

Some of the equity focal points for determining which sidewalk constructions and improvements are prioritized included:

• Existing or planned public transit stops, stations
• Population demographic trends, including areas seeing a high volume of new residents, neighborhoods with more transit-dependent residents and areas with lower household incomes
• Health outcomes of residents living in designated areas

Click here to see how many sidewalk programs are in the works or are upcoming.