Lawrenceville-based Georgia Safe Sidewalks has begun repairs this week throughout Decatur, with the work expected to last one month.
The sidewalks included in this year’s repair program are Commerce Drive from South Columbia Drive to Church Street, Second Avenue, East Lake Drive to Northern Street and the Parkwood Neighborhood--East Parkwood Road and West Parkwood Road to Parkwood Lane, Upland Road, Wimberly Court.
The project budget is $50,000 with GSS planning to smooth out 636 identified “trip and fall hazards.”
The repair covers sidewalks with trip hazards, or panels popping up from a quarter inch to two inches, typically known as vertical separations between panels. The cause typically is related to tree roots pushing up, or sidewalks settling in.
GSS cuts the irregularity with a saw, smoothing it out to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those panels greater than two inches or with significant cracking need to be torn down and replaced and therefore are a separate project.
Over the last 2½ years (not counting the current project), Georgia Safe Sidewalks has removed 3,982 potential hazards on 16 Decatur streets and in four city parks.
