Construction begins on Union Street curb ramps, ADA concerns persist

Photo via: Kent State University/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons

After the city of Athens faced a potential lawsuit from the Athens Disabilities Commission in October of last year, councilmember Solveig Spjeldnes introduced an ordinance in the council’s Dec. 2 meeting to expedite construction efforts making Athens compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The ordinance’s approved version, passed in the council’s Dec. 9 meeting, included unexpected and significant changes though.

“We have gotten to a situation where the bid to do that extra work is not going to happen,” Spjeldnes said in the Dec. 9 meeting. “It became too expensive and could not [be done] in the time frame that was anticipated.” 

The original ordinance planned for the replacement of the brick pedestrian crosswalks with concrete as well as the improvement of curb ramps at the intersection of Court Street and Union Street. However, as that intersection is the most trafficked one in Uptown and construction replacing the crosswalks would require it to be completely shut down, the city says construction would have to take place during the summer as it could not be completed during Ohio University’s 4-week long winter break. Additionally, the cost increased from $168,000 to $225,000 due to the materials needed to properly construct the new and lasting crosswalks. 

The final and approved version of the ordinance shifted its focus to solely improving the curb ramps with the releveling of some bricks to create smoother transitions to the ramps. 

“I contend that we absolutely have to move forward with getting the ADA ramps done,” Mayor Steve Patterson said in the Dec. 9 council meeting. “With the plan that next year we will look at possibly putting in brick pavers to make for a smoother travel surface across [the intersection].”

Construction on the curb ramps began on Dec. 31 and was completed on Jan. 15. Although these efforts provide movement in an otherwise standstill issue, some are discouraged by the unexpected changes to the intersection’s construction plan. 

“I know other people who use wheelchairs, especially manual wheelchairs, the main problem right now is the bricks,” Davey McNelly, Chair of the Disabilities Commission, said at the Dec. 9 council meeting. “They're old, they're missing, they're slanted, it's dangerous. So, yeah, just really deeply disappointed that this can't happen.”