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L.A. Plans On Spending $1 Billion To Fix Our Crappy Sidewalks
Sidewalk closed! (Photo by Gary Kavanagh via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
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It sure doesn't seem like we ever have a shortage of busted sidewalks in Los Angeles (you know, the ones we're always tripping over), but something might finally be done about it. The city is planning on spending $1 billion over the next 30 years to fix our depressing sidewalks.
This proposed L.A. City Council plan stems from settling a lawsuit filed by disabled residents and advocates who said the busted and cracked sidewalks violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to City News Service. The deal still needs to be approved by a judge, but if everything goes according to plan, that money will go towards fixing sidewalks that the city has been backlogged on and making other improvements that would help make sidewalks more accessible.
The city had already decided last year to set aside $27 million to repair our sidewalks, but as of February, it was discovered that they still hadn't spent a lick of it and it was already halfway through the fiscal year. City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said in February that they were holding off on spending the money until they resolved the lawsuit filed on behalf of the disabled residents.
Lawmakers planned last year to ask voters to up their taxes so they could use that money to fix sidewalks and streets, but they ditched that plan, according to the L.A. Times.
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About 40 percent of L.A.'s sidewalks need to be replaced or fixed, according to the Bureau of Street Services.
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