City Sidewalk Project

Phase I has been completed 02/08/24

You may have noticed several sidewalk improvement projects going on around town. Sidewalks have long been a hot topic in our community. We have many areas that are deteriorating, broken, sections missing, connection issues, and other potential accessibility issues.

You may be wondering, “Why is the City fixing the sidewalks when residents have always been told it is our responsibility?” Section 3—2202 of the city Code of Ordinances states “It shall be the duty and obligation of the owner of property abutting a sidewalk in a public right-of-way to maintain the abutting sidewalk, driveway apron, and sod in such a condition as to be safe for public use”. There have been various attempts to rectify the situation over the years, such as an interest free loan program to assist residents with the repair and replacement of their sidewalk. However, we have found out that this program quickly became problematic when you are only replacing certain sections of a sidewalk in front of those homes who wanted to participate – while leaving other sections on the street in disrepair. This can have unintended consequences such as new trip hazards, stormwater issues, or cause us to have to build a sidewalk not within specifications in order to tie into additional broken sidewalk that lacks proper curb heights, etc.

We have long realized that if we want to be a vibrant, healthy, and successful community, our walkability and connectivity was going to be a key part in this. When we look at the city as a whole, we see the following needs:  connecting the various sections of our community; ensuring we have a walkable community; and providing safe and connectible routes to our schools and playgrounds for our youth. Looking at sidewalks from a broader perspective, you will note that another section of the code (Section 3-4102 of the Code of Ordinances) states, “the Mayor and Council shall have charge of all the sidewalks in the city. Subject to the laws of the State of Maryland, the Charter, Article 3, Title 2 of this code, the Mayor and Council may do whatever is deemed necessary to establish, operate, maintain, and protect, in good condition, the sidewalks of the city.”  

We have also found that during our many water, wastewater, and stormwater management projects, it is more efficient for us to address sidewalk issues on entire blocks/sections during that time, vs just smaller repair projects of already inadequate sidewalks….

As a result of all of these considerations, the council adopted Resolution 2022-11 at the July 26, 2022 Mayor & Council meeting (found here: https://brunswickmd.gov/vertical/Sites/%7B6128680E-2B73-4AA3-90D8-2ADE82D7827D%7D/uploads/2022-07-26_Back-Up.pdf). In summary, this resolution states that while the city recognizes the obligations of the owners of property abutting a sidewalk to maintain, that we also understand that general safe walkability, neighborhood access, walking routes to schools, American Disability Act (ADA) requirements are all vital functions of a happy and healthy community. It goes on to say that by way of this resolution, the city will begin using various indicators to create a program that identifies deteriorating sidewalks for repair/replacement or locations for new sidewalks, and that we would also research and identify funding mechanisms, grants, etc.

This is an excellent example of how the City hopes to take a different look at City-wide issues that have gone unresolved for far too long. When the same approach fails to work over and over again, we are committed to finding a way to make it work for the good of our ENTIRE community.

Stay abreast of the progress on the sidewalk project and many other city-wide projects right here on Brunswick Forward.

Starting May 15, 2023 Brunswick City began a widespread sidewalk replacement project, encompassing the section of town between Florida and Maple Avenues.  The work began on Florida Avenue and is working eastward.  Please note, Georgia Avenue will be skipped at this time, and rescheduled towards the end of this project, as the scope of work in this section is more involved. Each resident who lives on the blocks that are being improved will receive a letter on their door at least one week prior to work beginning with detailed information regarding this project.  We will also post updates on the City's website and Facebook pages as work progresses.  Parking and traffic flows will be impacted, and while the City recognizes the inconvenience this causes to our residents, improving infrastructure remains a top priority.

Please note that the City of Brunswick is doing its upmost to keep the construction of new sidewalks to a specific timeframe, and the impact to parking and traffic flow as minimal as possible.  We will be focusing construction on one side of affected blocks at a time only, then will pick back up with construction on the opposite side at a later time, allowing for some parking to remain open on each block.  We anticipate construction on each side of affected streets to take approximately 1-2 week(s), however if issues are found under the sidewalks, the timeframes may be expanded. During construction, Public Works will be making sure that all water lines and storm water management lines are in good working order, and will be correcting any necessary issues at the same time.

If you have questions or concerns, please email us at Cityhall@brunswickmd.gov or call 301-834-7500.

BEGINNING ON OR ABOUT 7/31/23