Why Does Boston Have So Many Sidewalks In Need Of Repair?

CBS Boston

Updated on: December 4, 2025

Boston has a sidewalk problem, and residents flood the city's 311 line with complaints. The sidewalks are an issue on one of the city's most well-known streets.

State Street runs from Boston Harbor to the Old State House. The street is just a cobblestone's throw from Quincy Market and usually packed with tourists. Its history goes back about 400 years when we can only assume the sidewalks were just a little bit better than today.

The street became a banking hotbed in the 1800's and now you can bank on having a tough time navigating it on foot. It's only 1/3 of a mile long but getting down the obstacle course of a sidewalk feels like an expedition. There's crumbled concrete, uneven bricks, missing stones and one curb that has been replaced by plywood.

A postal carrier walks on the sidewalk on State Street in Boston/CBS Boston

Bike lane and sidewalk on State Street in Boston/CBS Boston

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