The backstory
Thirty years ago, the city adopted a sidewalk policy requiring developers, not taxpayers, to build sidewalks at the time of development, Mayor Kevin Cole said at the meeting.
“So if somebody developed something on [FM] 518, a sidewalk was put in as part of that development,” Cole said.
This means that older sections of FM 518 and other arterial roads were built before the sidewalk rule existed, and undeveloped areas along the corridor still have no sidewalks, Communications Director Josh Lee said.
The city does not proactively install sidewalks in front of undeveloped land, Cole said.
“The thought behind that was, 'Why put in a sidewalk and spend tax money that is only going to get chewed up when development happens?” Cole said.
The details
According to Lee, the voter-approved 2023 bond includes $15 million for sidewalk gap projects, including:
- Sidewalk gap connections along major corridors
- Sidewalk reconstruction and replacement in older neighborhoods
- Mudjacking and full replacement of broken sections
The city is currently restoring concrete sidewalks near the intersection of Dixie Farm Road and Pearland Parkway, Cole said.
The Texas Department of Transportation is currently liaising on a project to widen FM 1128 from Bailey Road to Broadway Street, which will likely include shared-use paths or sidewalks, Cole said. He said the city likely would not invest in adding sidewalks there if it is likely that TxDOT could later remove them for the widening project.
One more thing
Residents can report sidewalk gaps through the Connect2Pearland app or by calling the city’s main line at 281-652-1600, Lee said.
