Revamping the city of Austin's sidewalks would cost about $1 billion, according to a member of the city’s Public Works Department.

At a Sept. 26 town hall meeting, District 6 Council Member Don Zimmerman invited PWD Project Coordinator Mark Cole to discuss sidewalk repairs in the city.

The city’s 2009 Sidewalk Master Plan is being updated to evaluate how many roads are missing sidewalks and how many existing sidewalks are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We can’t build sidewalks that are not completely ADA compliant,” Cole said.

The 2009 plan estimated $900 million citywide was needed for new sidewalks and another $100 million was needed for existing sidewalk repairs, Cole said.

Cole said the city uses bond funds, rather than funds from the city budget, for sidewalk installation. Bond funding allocates about $7 million annually for sidewalks, Cole said. If funding does not increase, it would take 180 years to perform all needed work on sidewalks in the city, he said.

“It becomes a matter of prioritizing,” he said.

Projects are prioritized based on the density of the population in the area as well as the project’s proximity to schools, public transit and government offices, according to the 2009 plan.

Cole said the highest priority projects in the city are located outside of Northwest Austin. In September a preliminary sidewalk plan update was released showing the highest priority projects are located in downtown and East Austin.

PWD is conducting preliminary estimates for sidewalks in the area along US 183 between McNeil Drive and Anderson Mill Road, Cole said. That area houses two retirement facilities—The Clairmont Retirement Community on Los Indios Trail and Ashwood Retirement and Assisted Living on Hunters Chase Drive.

Cole said the department has strict rules to work around existing trees, rather than uproot them, during sidewalk installation and repair. In some cases, the department has requested residents donate some of their private right of way to widen a sidewalk around a tree.

“It’s an important consideration,” he said.