Disappearing sidewalk brings longtime frustration to neighborhood just northwest of downtown Colorado Springs
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Road Warrior has occasionally reported on complaints from viewers about cracked or damaged sidewalks taking a long time to be repaired.
However, on a high point overlooking the downtown skyline, it’s a vanishing sidewalk segment that has homeowners concerned.
The problem area is on a bend at the intersection of North Chestnut and North Tower streets, several blocks northwest of Interstate 25.
Neighbors say that for years, a downhill sidewalk segment has gradually eroded away to nothing more than a dirt trail.
Cones and a “sidewalk closed” sign have been placed at the top of the hill; trees along the missing sidewalk can make it hard for a pedestrian to see.
Erich Haubrich, a homeowner just up the block from the missing sidewalk segment, contacted The Road Warrior about the problem, citing safety concerns.
“I personally haven’t made a report to the city, but I know that reports have been made,” he said. “The city’s been out here for compliance for another neighbor. They walked over in March and were in this position, so they could very clearly see that there was damage. People who walk through here have to get into the street to avoid the damage. With the sharp bend in the street, traffic may not see them.”
The sidewalk isn’t the only issue.
Along the bend at the intersection, the street slopes downhill and has developed large cracks, erosion, and several large potholes.
Concrete gutters are crumbling along the street, as well.
As The Road Warrior reported last year, city public works crews faced a backlog of more than 6,000 requests for sidewalk repairs.
Haubrich said that he’s not interested in a city program that moves repair requests up on the priority list if homeowners pay half the cost.
“We can’t do new things, bring new things into the community, until we’re taking care of the roads and sidewalks that all of the citizens depend on,” he explained. “We pay a lot in property tax. We expect to get something back for that.”
Until more funding becomes available for repairs, citizens should make sure they are reporting damaged sidewalks, then be patient and hope repairs happen relatively soon.