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Wichita council approves funding to finish 135th Street sidewalk gap after debate over 6‑foot vs. 10‑foot standards
Summary
Council approved a revised budget and change‑order authority to complete a gap on 135th Street, after staff reported cost estimates and council members argued tradeoffs between wider 10‑foot multi‑use paths and narrower 6‑foot sidewalks for cost, trees and maintenance.
Wichita — After an extended discussion about pedestrian safety, connectivity and cost, the Wichita City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to approve funding to complete the missing segment of sidewalks and a multi‑use path on 135th Street West between Central and 13th Street North.
Paul Gunzeman of Public Works told the council that contractor bid pricing averages about $5.50 per square foot and that, based on recent bids, one mile of 6‑foot sidewalk is about $174,240 while a mile of 10‑foot multi‑use path is roughly $290,400. He said the 10‑foot standard traces to the city’s bicycle master‑plan policies and improves connectivity for walkers, cyclists and people using mobility devices.
Council members pressed staff on several points: whether acquisition of additional right‑of‑way is necessary for 10‑foot paths; how much maintenance responsibility falls on homeowners versus the city under state law; and how often the city inspects public sidewalks. Gary Janssen (Public Works) said many of the wide multi‑use paths are built on the city fringes and are part of a plan to bring safer, off‑street bicycle and pedestrian facilities to growing corridors.
Public comment came from a BikeWalk Wichita representative, who described weekend rides and safety concerns on narrow roads and urged the council to adopt the 10‑foot multi‑use path standard where appropriate.
Mayor and several council members said they support finishing the gap for safety reasons but urged prudence on future projects, asking staff to provide GIS maps of existing 10‑foot paths and clearer maintenance‑cost comparisons before broad adoption of wider standards.
The final motion approved a revised project budget, authorized change orders up to a 5% limit (staff cited a $300,000 change‑order allowance), and authorized signatures to proceed. The roll call recorded a 6–0 vote.
What happens next: Public Works will update GIS mapping of multi‑use paths and return with implementation details; construction and any needed right‑of‑way acquisitions will proceed according to the CIP schedule.
