Clearwater Sidewalks Get A Facelift

CLEARWATER, FL — The city of Clearwater is working hard to improve Clearwater’s neighborhoods – one sidewalk at a time.

A major effort is underway to repair hundreds of sidewalk issues that have been identified along Clearwater’s 365 miles of sidewalks. That’s great news for walkers, runners, bicyclists and anyone else who uses sidewalks to get around the city.

“I’m committed to improving our neighborhoods,” said Jon Jennings, Clearwater’s city manager. “When I started here at the city, I noticed we had a backlog of sidewalks that are in a state of disrepair. Our teams are working hard, and they’re making significant progress, having fixed many of these backlogged requests already.”

Residents should notice a difference in the sidewalk problems soon, if they haven’t already.

In just a few months, the city already has repaired many of the city’s broken sidewalks. Some repairs are easy, but others are more complicated because of tree roots that are buckling the concrete or trees that need to be removed. The city has a plan for these tricky repairs, too.

This year alone, the city is spending an estimated $1.62 million on sidewalk improvements. Work is being done by city crews and contracted staff.

The city is also in the beginning stages of building a program that collects 3D imagery of Clearwater’s sidewalk surfaces. It’s basically radar for pavement, scanning the ground. A sidewalk condition index is created, which helps staff prioritize which sidewalks to repair in a more strategic manner.

The goal is to speed up the process of fixing sidewalks, which ultimately will improve neighborhoods and the safety of walkways. The database should be complete in late 2022.

If you see a sidewalk that needs to be repaired, submit it using the street and sidewalk maintenance request.