'R' marks the spot (not to mention 'X' and 'G') for sidewalk repairs around Rochester
Apr. 12—Dear Answer Man: So, our area is scheduled for lots of sidewalk maintenance this year and all the sidewalks have markings on them as to what needs to be done. Earlier this week the street corners all got marked with a red "R" in a red triangle. Then a day or two later, the sidewalks got re-tagged with a black "R" and black triangle. My guess is that the "R" means "replace" but could you please confirm this. Also, while you investigate that, please ask the city why all the corners need replacing. — Sidewalk Sleuth.
Dear Sleuth,
This is an easy topic to step into as the Post Bulletin has covered this concretely in the past.
So, the way it used to work is if the city saw a need to repair or replace the sidewalks in your neighborhood, they'd come in, kick up a lot of dust and charge the property owners along those specific sidewalks for the pleasure of having their sidewalks repaired. Then, in November 2022, the City Council passed the Sidewalk Improvement District plan to deal with the more than 600 miles of city sidewalks and 900-plus pedestrian ramps. The plan divides the city into 20 districts plus the Destination Medical Center zone.
The plan is to do repairs in each district once every 20 years — which is about how long sidewalks last — and the more heavily traveled DMC zone once every five years. By creating this maintenance rotation, the city folds the cost of sidewalk repairs into its regular street maintenance budget, and avoids a big bill for individual property owners once every two decades.
This year's repair district the one bounded by West Circle Drive on the east, U.S. Highway 14 on the north and Country Club Drive on the south. Next year's district will essentially be the Kutzky Park and Lowertown neighborhoods. The map above has each district labeled with a year, and districts are divided into five — six if you include DMC — regions of the city.
According to Megan Moeller, spokeswoman for the city of Rochester and all-around friend to Answer Man, "Our inspectors marked all pedestrian ramps slated for replacement in our NW SID area with a pink "R" and triangle. The ones with black paint are alternates (if we have money at the end of our project, these are next in line for replacement)."
So, basically, inspectors go into the designated Sidewalk Improvement District and figure out what needs to be fixed and what is good to go for another 20 years.
While there is a specific area for 2025 — again, see the map above — "there will be minimal work throughout the remainder of the NW district (green)," Moeller said.
"The pedestrian ramps marked in pink "R" are scheduled for replacement in addition to sidewalk replacement and repair marked by Xs and Gs." Moeller added.
Even a rough sidewalk won't trip up Answer Man. Send questions to answerman@postbulletin.com .
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