That being said it is certainly not a very smart design if people arre actually going to want to walk here. Unfortunately you can’t legislate a desire to make streets ped friendly if the municipality just doesn’t have the will.

The road was not being repaved or reconstructed. Just a turn lane in one spot.

The sidewalk was is massive disrepair, but it is not the developers job to rebuild it beyond the previous state. That is the city’s job.

The city could have pressed the developer to do it as a condition of plan approvals, permit approvals, etc.

Does this mean that any homeowner doing some remodeling or even a rebuild on a lot must bring the sidewalks in front into ADA compliance too? Does this also mean that any commercial building that is constructed and/or remodeled must also make the sidewalks in public right of way ADA compliant?

The issue comes down to who gets defined as at-fault if an ADA complaint is made to the state agency that enforces the federal guidelines. The developer and Costco are only responsible for what happens where they connect driveways to the street to be ADA compliant in the public right of way. ADA compliance for the developer is a concern within their property.

I understand the pictures show a sorry excuse for a sidewalk, but the developer isn’t responsible for upgrading and improving the sidewalk. The developer fixed a sidewalk in dis-repair on their own accord. My objection is the blaming of the developer. The real party to blame would be the City of Houston and the Planning Commission.

Also, if citizens truly felt this sidewalk was so horrible and so bad, why would they complain about it on the internet? Why not make the phone calls for the ADA complaint?

I don’t live near the Costco or involved in projects near it, so it’s not affecting me. I have plenty of other neighborhood issues in my own area of Houston that I help my community with.

The residents and workers in the area that would utilize this sidewalk should take some action. Usually ADA complaints made to political officials don’t go un-resolved. Call a TV news crew and make a stink about it. Get a wheel chair bound person to try to navigate it on camera.

But, it is pretty pathetic that, as an engineer you would state that a reconstructed sidewalk doesn’t need to be ADA compliant. A repaving of the road triggers ADA upgrades for crying out loud. And you contend that a completely reconstructed sidewalk doesn’t have to be upgraded?

And again, address my points; there are a variety of basic flaws such as sign placement and width that could have easily been changed to comply in many cases. I don’t know who was responsible for the reconstruction (I assume the developer as a condition of the redevelopment of the site). Regardless, the sidewalk needs to be made compliant.

A little tip on AASHTO design guidelines: if Federal and/or State funding is not utilized for a project, the guidelines can be tossed in the trash. They are a fall back when local governance has no previous standard in place.

Harris County makes the decision on low speed roads (45 mph or less) to not use super elevation for tight curves as AASHTO requires. In our geographical environment, roads are also utilized for conveyance of surface drainage. Not using super elevation for major thoroughfares under 45mph (which is pretty much all of them) forces water to pond on the outside lanes. This leaves the inside lane with little or no ponding to continue to allow traffic and especially emergency vehicles a consistent lane to drive in. Houston doesn’t necessarily follow this, but there are other areas that they don’t follow AASHTO. Intermediate cross walks for pedestrians is one. AASHTO suggest flashing yellow lights and painted crosswalks for pedestrian crossing that are needed mid-block. The FHA advises against this. The city of Houston decided to use the FHA guideline. An FHA study found it was safer for a pedestrian to cross mid-block without cross walks because the cross walks gave the pedestrians a false sense of security. The only time the cross walk should be painted is if it was protected by a red light signal which generally is at intersections. The Galleria has two at mid-block, but they are protected by a red light signal.

Working at an Engineering firm that worked on many pedestrian enhancement project in Midtown and Downtown along with countless new development, I’m fairly versed in the ADA rules.

In a simple reconstruction/repair as this was, the ADA rules don’t apply. If the sidewalk were being completely rebuilt (new signs for the road, reworking the electrical poles) ADA would haven’t definitely played a roll. Also, ADA sets guidelines that must be administered by the State of Texas and the City has answer to this if complaints are brought. The city is protected is this case.

Also, the intersection you mention was just a simple left turn lane added to an existing median break. The city didn’t require them to do anything. The developer wanted the left turn lane and had to apply for it. The city could have turned them down. Since the developer pays for this left turn lane, the city ensures it meets its standards for the roadway add-on.

ADA does come into effect for existing facilities when a threshold is met for reconstruction/remodeling. Many buildings avoid remodeling because it forces them to build for ADA compliance which forces them to put in elevators and ramps. Yet some smaller remodeling projects don’t require it because the threshold isn’t met. There are several two story restaurants that don’t meet ADA rules and were remodeled recently. They were under the threshold.

People need to stop blaming the developer for following rules and complain to their council member that the city doesn’t provide and adequate sidewalk along Wesleyan and Richmond for wheel chair use. The developers aren’t the problem, but inept city government is.