Sidewalk Construction Program
EQUAL TIME (Arizona Daily Star - 19 Jun 2005): Jim Glock says Tucson can't afford the extra features it would like to provide.
At a recent sidewalk dedication in the Jefferson Park neighborhood, I watched a young couple heading to the celebration push their child in a stroller along a newly constructed sidewalk. Last week along Fifth Street, a mother and child safely walked on a new sidewalk along that bustling corridor.
Without these new sidewalks, these families would have pushed that stroller in the street, walked along a dirt, rock-strewn path or chosen to drive to their destination.
The Tucson Department of Transportation is grateful to the mayor and council for providing funding to build approximately 30 miles of new sidewalks along our streets.
Knowing this funding was limited and may not be reallocated in the near future, we focused our priorities on areas where schoolchildren walk, where bus stops draw citizens on foot from within neighborhoods or where disabled people in wheelchairs have been forced into the street because sidewalk connections didn't exist.
Our goal was to use our limited funding to make a positive impact on the livability of our citizens in as many places as possible by improving access and safety for those on foot or in wheelchairs.
Despite these efforts, nearly 60 percent of our major streets are still without sidewalks. TDOT staffers estimate it would cost about $45 million to purchase the right-of-way required to allow setbacks, remove obstructions, relocate utilities and construct sidewalks where none exist today.
Some, but not all, residents in the Fifth Street area are unhappy that the sidewalks we recently constructed between Wilmot and Alvernon do not live up to the vision of the Fifth/Sixth Street Corridor Study that was conducted four years ago.
We have received comments that the sidewalks don't include the setbacks and landscaping buffer that were recommended during the study process. We agree that if money were no object, it would be most desirable to build wide continuous sidewalks that are separated from the curb by a fully landscaped setback and incorporate art.
Unfortunately, the city simply does not have the money to do so. Although we strive to meet the desires of our neighborhoods, we are enormously underfunded to meet even the basic needs for sidewalks.
Some, but not all, residents in the Fifth Street area also believe sidewalks next to curbs are unsafe. I contend that sidewalks next to curbs are safer than pedestrians and wheelchair-bound citizens having to use the street because there are no sidewalks at all. I will never compromise safety but will continue to find ways to get the greatest value for your improvement dollar.
Where opportunities existed, my staff did a tremendous job of working with residents, businesses and contractors to do this much-needed work in a very professional manner.
It is also important to remember that, although engineering and construction play key roles in maintaining safety for all users, it is ultimately up to all of us to focus on safety when using any of the transportation methods available.
Jim Glock is director of the city of Tucson Department of Transportation. Contact him at 
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