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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2022 ATM& STMs 2022-1 & -2
<br /> Index (SCI) in Lexington was 68, which put it in the middle of the "Partial Repair"treatment band. The
<br /> Stantec survey recommendation was that it would require $750,000 to maintain current conditions. The
<br /> proposed DPW sidewalk replacement program has been based since then on the priority list developed in
<br /> conjunction with that survey.
<br /> The FY2017 update reported that Stantec completed, in December 2016, a 20%re-survey of the sidewalk
<br /> network and found the average, area-based, Sidewalk Network SCI was 68.8. It also reported that the
<br /> percentage of non-compliant ramps was 63%, a modest improvement from the 67% in 2014, and that the
<br /> cost of the current backlog of outstanding repairs for sidewalks and ramps was $7,527,990, an increase of
<br /> about$500,000 from the 2014 amount.
<br /> The Town has since been working with the BETA group to develop and implement an improved sidewalk
<br /> and ramp survey methodology that will provide more detailed and continuous data than the previous
<br /> studies. Inspections using the new methodology have been done on one third of the Town/s roadways
<br /> each year since 2018, and in September 2020, a new Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Assessment report was
<br /> released covering all three phases.
<br /> The new methodology uses Geographic Information System mapping tools and, in the case of sidewalks,
<br /> high-resolution cameras and lasers, to record the detailed conditions (including for the first-time
<br /> measurements of sidewalk roughness), materials, and features of sidewalks and curb ramps across Town.
<br /> The new measurements, though far more detailed, do not use the same categories as before, so
<br /> comparisons are not yet available.
<br /> Using the new categories and the more detailed data reported in 2020, 50 of the 80 miles of sidewalk
<br /> require either no repairs at all, or minor repairs on fewer than 10% of the sidewalk segments. Another 27
<br /> miles require repairs to between 10%and 25%of the segments surveyed, and the remaining 3 miles have
<br /> at least some sidewalk segments in poor condition. 932 of the 1050 curb ramps inventoried were found to
<br /> require minor or no repairs; the remaining 118 ramps will require replacement. In addition, 589 of the
<br /> ramps are not yet ADA compliant. The Department is working to analyze these new measurements and
<br /> turn them into an updated condition index that can be used to track summary conditions over time,
<br /> including a method to compare the index to the previous SCI numbers.
<br /> In October 2015, the SB assigned the responsibility of the Sidewalk Committee (now inactive) to the
<br /> Transportation Safety Group (TSG), a Town Manager appointed Working Group that evaluates issues and
<br /> concerns relative to traffic, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and parking safety. The TSG makes
<br /> recommendations to the Select Board and the Town Manager. The working group includes citizens and
<br /> representatives of the Police,Public Works, Planning and School Departments.
<br /> Regarding the sidewalk network, including ramps, DPW maintains the primary responsibility for both
<br /> maintenance and capital projects of the existing sidewalk network, while the TSG focuses on the need for
<br /> new sidewalks and pedestrian ramps, and bringing safety-related concerns about the existing network to
<br /> the attention of DPW.
<br /> Sidewalk replacement and extension are costly initiatives. Embedded in these costs are sidewalk-
<br /> construction obstructions, easement issues, and negotiations with residents. The DPW and TSG overall
<br /> policy has been to develop a prioritized sidewalk-construction plan focusing on the "Safe Routes to
<br /> School Program", other high-pedestrian-traffic routes, and streets with high walking hazards. All
<br /> reconstructed/new sidewalks and their pedestrian ramps are designed and constructed to comply with the
<br /> ADA. Approximately 15,000 linear feet of sidewalk improvements are completed each year.
<br /> The FY2023 request for general sidewalk work is in Article 12(h); for new sidewalks, see Article 12(q).
<br /> Townwide Signal Improvements
<br /> An Engineering Division study in 2011, funded with Traffic Mitigation funds, identified and prioritized
<br /> the Town signal locations in need of improvement, after assessment of signal conditions, signal timing,
<br /> delays, and ADA requirements. As recommended, the Town has adopted a Standard Specification that
<br /> allows for cost-effective maintenance strategies. The study did not include the signals which are under the
<br /> jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, including, but not limited to:
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