Clark County staff outlines ADA transition plan, cites thousands of sidewalk and curb-ramp deficiencies

Clark County transportation staff told the Planning Commission on Sept. 4 that the county is preparing an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) self-evaluation and transition plan to inventory and prioritize repairs to curb ramps, sidewalks and related pedestrian facilities across the county's unincorporated urban growth area.

The self-evaluation will document existing deficiencies, describe methods to make facilities accessible, provide a schedule for modifications and identify officials responsible for implementation, County transportation staff member Michael Salas Jr. said. "What we're gonna talk about today is the ADA transition plan and also the self evaluation report," Salas said.

The plan matters because the county intends to use it to unlock funding and to prioritize work that is not otherwise part of routine road maintenance, Salas said. He told commissioners the legislation referred to during the presentation—identified in the staff briefing as House Bill 1181—accelerated the county's timetable to finish the transition plan and fold it into the comprehensive plan update and related climate initiatives.

Salas said the self-evaluation uses existing inventories and mapping (data drawn from 2019 and early 2025) to identify barriers and prioritize work. Types of facilities being evaluated include curb ramps, sidewalks and traffic-control signals; the county will apply ADA standards consistent with WSDOT guidance for its visual inspections, he said. "For curb ramps, I think I saw something like 9,044," Salas said. He also cited a 2020 figure of "7,144 sidewalk deficiencies or defects" and said earlier inventory work identified roughly 2,000,000 feet of missing sidewalk—about 486 miles.

Commissioners and staff discussed typical barriers and how the county will prioritize fixes. Commissioner Halbert asked whether fences or private posts that encroach on the right of way would be treated as deficiencies; Salas said such cases would be evaluated "on a case-by-case basis" but that the county typically focuses first on the structure of the sidewalk itself. Commissioners asked whether the county will prioritize locations near schools and other high-use areas; Salas said proximity to schools and other public facilities will be part of the prioritization criteria developed with Public Works.

Commissioner Kyle asked for percentages by deficiency category; Salas said the forthcoming self-evaluation report will provide more detailed percentages and breakdowns. Salas also noted specific recurring obstacles: more than 900 mailbox posts that obstruct pedestrian access and push-button brackets located across curbs that are hard to reach from the pedestrian approach.

Legal and enforcement questions came up. Commissioner Holden asked, "Has anybody sued the county over these things?" Salas said, "To my knowledge, nobody has sued just because they exist. But, oh, yeah, we've been sued because people have tripped on the sidewalk pieces that are elevated or where there's a hole instead of a curb ramp." Commissioners discussed that enforcement and sidewalk repair responsibilities vary by jurisdiction and that some cities employ code-enforcement staff dedicated to sidewalk repair; Salas said the transition plan itself will not create an enforcement program.

Staff described next steps and outreach: completion of the self-evaluation and GIS-based priority mapping, public outreach and likely open houses in November–December, an additional Planning Commission work session after the plan draft is complete, and then a public hearing before the commission followed by the County Council. Salas said the transition plan will identify the county contact for implementation (Michelle Schuster was named as a contact in the presentation) and noted that ultimately Ken Leiter is responsible for implementation.

Commissioners raised coordination with capital improvement planning. Salas said the county will coordinate with Public Works and consider the ADA work both as stand‑alone ADA projects and as improvements paired with maintenance or development work when budgets permit.

Salas flagged topics not yet included in the current scope: driveway ramps are not being evaluated now but are likely to be tracked later. He said the county will also return with more precise counts and prioritization criteria in the self-evaluation report. The presentation cited Clark County Code 43.50.350 for the public right of way definition used in the inventory.

The commission did not take formal action during the work session; staff sought input and outlined the timeline for completing the self-evaluation and transition plan.