Portions of new downtown sidewalks torn out after failing ADA inspection
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP bensharp@journal-spectator.com

Staff Photo by Benjamin Sharp Employees of Economic Construction Inc. use a jackhammer to break up a newly constructed sidewalk on Burleson Street. The sidewalk reportedly did not meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

First, brand-new wheelchair ramps were demolished and rebuilt in different locations. Now, portions of newly built sidewalks are being torn apart and re-set at the correct grades.

When it comes to the city of Wharton's downtown sidewalk improvement project, nothing comes easily.

City manager Andres Garza Jr. said Monday it has been an exercise in frustration for the city's staff. The project, after all, began at the beginning of this year and has yet to be completed - or paid for.

Already, it's about $30,000 over budget, and there may still be work left to complete.

Last week, an independent contractor hired by the city inspected the newly formed sidewalks, ramps and rails designed to bring the downtown walkways into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

It didn't take long for the inspectors to find problems with the construction. Though city officials won't receive the final report for a few more weeks, they were informed of issues with the design of sidewalk "wings" that drop the walkways to a lower grade in spots where vehicles need to pass through.

Staff Photo by Barry Halvorson An inspector who is part of an independent contracting firm hired by the city checks the grade of the sidewalk at Burleson and Fulton for ADA compliance.

One such opening allows cars on Burleson Street to enter the Journal- Spectator parking lot. Crews with Economic Construction Inc., the firm that built the sidewalks earlier this year, used a jackhammer late last week to break out the "wings." They have since been re-set according to the proper grade and design.

As originally designed, the wings could have been mistaken by a visually impaired person as a gentle slope leading to a lower walkway, Garza said. That may have led the walker right out onto Burleson Street and into the face of oncoming traffic.

"They (the inspectors) identified the areas that don't meet ADA requirements," Garza said.

Another area of concern is at the intersection of Burleson and Fulton streets. The height of the street in that spot is not level with the bottom of the handicapped accessible ramps on the nearby sidewalks.

"There's a big transition from the road to the curb," Garza said.

The solution will be to lower the road itself. Garza said the Texas Department of Transportation has agreed to "mill down" the road in that area.

Such issues are just the latest problem the city has encountered on the project. When handicapped accessible ramps were constructed at the beginning of this year, the city council later voted to have one of them demolished and rebuilt at a different location. Safety and aesthetic concerns were behind the decision.

Why some of these issues weren't "caught" in the design phase is unclear.

Garza said the Texas Department of Registration and Licensing reviewed the plans before construction was begun.

He added, though, that working within ADA guidelines is a difficult and intricate process, one that is only intensified when trying to "match" new and old construction.

"It's very, very difficult to make these type of improvements

because of changes in elevation and widths. The (downtown)

area doesn't lend itself to making the transition easy."

Despite the difficulties, though, Garza remains certain that the roughly $218,000 project will ultimately be of great benefit to area residents and visitors alike.

"We will have a downtown area in which people who are physically challenged can get around," he said.