LANSING, Mich — City officials in Lansing are pushing for increased funding for sidewalk maintenance and repair across the city's approximately 550 miles of walkways, as current funding levels mean sidewalks are only replaced every 200 years.
On the southside of Lansing near Pleasant Grove and Holmes, longtime resident Steven Mosely pointed out deteriorating sidewalk conditions.
"It looks like it's sinking in and it needs to be replaced," Mosely said.
Safety concerns are at the forefront of residents' minds when it comes to the city's sidewalks.
"They got the concrete coming up, if you are not looking you're going to trip," Mosely said.
These concerns are common throughout Lansing, according to city officials.
"We get a lot of calls regarding sidewalks," Councilman Adam Hussian said.
Hussian explained that the city council has worked to increase funding for sidewalk maintenance and repairs over the past decade.
"We were at about $200,000 10 years ago, and today we are putting about $1 million a year into our sidewalks," Hussian said.
Despite the significant increase in funding, Hussian noted that it's still insufficient to address all the city's sidewalk needs.
"Right now, we are on a 200-year replacement cycle for sidewalks. What that means is we are only able to financially replace sidewalks every couple of years," Hussian said.
Hussian also emphasized that property owners share responsibility for sidewalk maintenance.
"The way that the ordinance works is that property owners are responsible for the sidewalks in front of their homes," Hussian said.
For residents like Mosely, the priority is simply getting the sidewalks fixed to ensure community safety.
"You got kids, kids with bikes, mopeds that's all on these sidewalks every day," Mosely said.
Residents with questions or concerns about sidewalks can contact the Lansing Public Service Department.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
