WNJ: DelDOT assumes sidewalk snow clearing duty

Delaware On-line -- DelDOT spent more than a quarter of a million dollars clearing 70 miles of sidewalks after the last snowstorm, even as warming temperatures melted it before the work could be finished.

It is a new initiative the agency is taking on this year. Officials say they are performing the work to keep pedestrians safe and to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Otherwise, people walk in the roadway and set up circumstances for a tragedy,” said Jim Westoff, a DelDOT spokesman.

The program had its first run the weekend after the Jan. 2 storm. Over two days, the department deployed contractors up and down U.S. 202, Kirkwood Highway and Del. 4, among other byways.  [Keep reading ...]

Poster's note:  Kudos to DelDOT for taking this on. Let's hope this program includes the Route 72/S.Chapel Ext pathway, south from Newark. Nearly 10 years of advocacy efforts have failed to address this facility from a rehabilitation standpoint. It serves a critical role as one of a very few safe I95 crossings, and is very popular among bicyclists and pedestrians commuting to school or a job. Yet it is long ago forgotten by DelDOT where any kind of maintenance is concerned. Perhaps this is a vital first step toward recognizing these facilities as a viable means of transportation, as witnessed on Route 72 below.