Sidewalk Replacement Information
**We are currently in the South/East Corner of the Town**
The Town of West Seneca is making an effort to inspect sidewalks throughout the entire Town. The Town of West Seneca requires all property owners that have sidewalks to maintain them, keep them free of hazards and clear of snow. If a sidewalk is existing, it can not be eliminated, it must remain. The goal of this is to identify sidewalks that are a hazard, notify owners; determine a solution to the faulty sidewalks. The inspections started in April 2018, and consisted of a drive-by inspection of streets with sidewalks.
When the drive-by inspection is done, it is simply a visual check to spot hazards. Some of the hazards found may be located on a property line, or very close to it, so it is difficult to determine which property it belongs to. We have notified both residents in these instances. Hazards generally consisted of sidewalks that have heaved creating a trip hazard, sunken in, or are cracked beyond repair. There is some judgment that is made when determining a trip hazard. We have tried to identify the “bad ones” on streets. We did not identity sidewalks that were heaved slightly. Although they may get worse over time and require repair, we can identify later when the get to that point.
The sidewalks have failed for a variety of reasons. Generally, most failures are focused around trees and utility lines. The existing trees were required when your street was built. The Town of West Seneca can not remove the trees. In an effort to assist residents, the Highway Dept. can provide you with materials to prevent root growth. Once a sidewalk has been removed for repair and tree roots cut out of the way, you can then install / apply the supplied materials to tree roots. If the failure is around underground utility lines or manholes, please contact the Town of West Seneca to determine course of action.
Once residents are made aware of faulty sidewalk, a repair must be done in a timely manner. The repair can consist of complete replacement, lifting and re install of existing, or patching. It must be understood that patching of sidewalk must be done in a manner so it is reasonable and lasting. Sidewalks should be level.
The repair can be done by resident of property or a contractor. The Town of West Seneca has developed a program to assist residents in getting sidewalks repaired. The Town of West Seneca has secured contractor(s) to perform this work, at resident expense. We have an agreed price for sidewalks, with goal of getting a consistent and fair price for all residents. The Town can provide you with these contractor(s) if you elect to use this option. The fee for the repair can be paid directly to the contractor, or the fee can be applied to your tax bill.
In summary, the Town of West Seneca is trying to promote a safe, walkable community for all owners, their children, and anyone else who may use these sidewalks.