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Tualatin staff propose $1.2 million, two-year plan to fix sidewalk backlog and replace problem trees
Summary
City staff told the council a 2024 sidewalk assessment found about 2,000 defects citywide and 327 program-qualifying tree-caused defects; staff propose a two-year, $1.2 million remediation using program funds, ARPA, road utility and general fund if needed.
City public-works staff told the Tualatin City Council that a citywide sidewalk assessment completed in summer 2024 identified roughly 2,000 sidewalk defects and that 327 of those meet the city’s program criteria (street-tree caused lifts greater than 1/4 inch).
Lindsay Marshall and Jackson Porterfield, management analysts in public works, said most defects citywide are not caused by street trees but that narrowing the scope to tree-caused hazards left a backlog that the city can address. “What the assessment found was roughly 2,000 recorded defects in the sidewalk system,” Marshall said. Porterfield added that narrowing to program-qualifying defects produced a more manageable backlog of 327 items.
Staff proposed a one-time, two-year catch-up project to repair the qualifying defects, remove certain lower-priority ‘grinds’ from the program and pivot to low-emission concrete for repairs. The staff estimate for the two-year remediation, including a contingency buffer of roughly 24 percent, is about $1,200,000. Porterfield said the city would first use sidewalk-program funds (about $150,000 per year), then remaining ARPA funds, then the road utility fund and finally the general fund if needed.
The project would include removing and replacing approximately 337 street trees associated with the qualifying repairs—about 3 percent of the city’s street trees—and installing root barriers to reduce recurrence. Staff warned that mature trees accounted for a disproportionate share of canopy and said replacing high-impact species (staff cited Armstrong maple as disproportionately associated with defects) will reduce future failures but will temporarily reduce canopy cover.
Councilors asked detailed operational questions: staff confirmed parks is maintaining a separate street-tree inventory, that a foam-injection pilot to lift panels was tested and appeared more cost-effective in one homeowner trial, and that contractor lists and homeowner-assistance options will be developed and returned to council during the project. Staff said they plan an 18-month construction window across two fiscal years with mid-project check-ins.
No formal vote was taken; staff sought council feedback and indicated they will return with ordinance-level materials, program criteria updates and contractor-list proposals as the project advances.
