The fix is in for city's sidewalks

Sidewalks in the city that has long billed itself as one of the most walkable in the United States are about to get the biggest overhaul in more than three decades.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced yesterday that the city will spend $24 million over the next three years to fix sidewalks throughout the city, vowing to attack the cracks, crumbles, clefts and dimples that have annoyed pedestrians throughout the city and raised the prospect of a lawsuit by disability advocates.

"The slogan is,'Talk the talk; now walk the walk,' " Menino said at an afternoon press conference on Clarkwood Street in Mattapan, where work crews began tearing up sidewalks and pouring fresh cement yesterday morning.

Hundreds of sidewalks are targeted for improvement, though Department of Public Works officials have just begun narrowing a 60-page list to determine which ones will get fixed when. Commissioner Joseph F. Casazza is urging citizens to report damaged sidewalks to the mayor's office this week, so Public Works crews can make sure all the problem spots are on the list.

"This is the first time I've had a mayor that would give us a program this large for sidewalks," said Casazza, who has run the department for more than 35 years. "We're excited. We like to see challenges and accomplish them."

The announcement was made five days after advocates for disabled citizens filed a grievance about the condition of city sidewalks with the Boston Commission for Persons with Disabilities.

Menino denied there was any connection, insisting that "we started working on this concept last year." He contended it was a flood of complaints from residents and the observations of city workers that triggered the makeover.

Either way, the move may avert a lawsuit that the advocates, Neighborhood Access Group and the Boston Center for Independent Living, said they planned to file if the city did not take action soon.

John Kelly, founder of Neighborhood Access, said he was shocked by the sidewalk initiative, happy that the mayor decided to take action on their concerns, but a little disappointed that Menino hadn't acted sooner.

"We usually hear that they would love to meet our needs, but we don't have enough money," said Kelly, who uses a wheelchair and has lived in Boston for 20 years.

Wheelchairs often get stuck in cracks, and uneven, crumbling sidewalks have created an obstacle course for disabled Bostonians, he said. "It's pretty demoralizing, but they said there's not all that much they could do. Now, it turns out they've been sitting on the money all along."

Half the funds for the initiative, dubbed City Walks, will come from an account paid into by utility companies; the companies are required to pay the city every time they dig up a road or sidewalk. The other half will come out of the city's capital improvement budget.

The city is spending $8 million a year, more than three times its normal sidewalk budget annually for the project. Normally about $2.5 million is spent each year to refurbish sidewalks.

The funds from the city's capital improvement budget cannot be used for programs such as summer jobs for teenagers or salaries for city workers, because the money is restricted to capital projects; $6 million is from the state and roughly $6 million is from bond money, and both sources limit how the money is spent, officials said.

Advocates for the disabled believe that funds have been accruing in the utility account for years, but city officials say money is constantly paid out of the account for road and sidewalk repairs.

"Money comes in, and we make the permanent repairs," said Lisa Signori, the city's chief financial officer.

Councilor Maura Hennigan, who has led an impassioned campaign for pothole and sidewalk repair since she stepped in a hole during a parade and broke her ankle last year, cautiously applauded the new sidewalk project.

"The next step was going to be the lawsuit," said Hennigan, who worked with the advocates on their grievance.

Hennigan said she would like some assurance from city officials that the temporary patches utility companies often put over their work won't be acceptable in the future.

Rather than having city workers go back and replace the temporary patches with permanent fixes, as the current system works, Hennigan wants the utility companies to be authorized to make permanent repairs themselves.

It would represent a policy change and not just a one-time fix like the mayor's new initiative, she said.

"I'm always glad when things are done to improve the status quo, but it's not going to solve the problem," Hennigan said.

On Clarkwood Street yesterday, resident Brenda Chaney watched as crews tore up uneven, weed-pocked, asphalt-patched sidewalks. She said she welcomed the project, no matter what the motivation or utility policy.

"I'm very happy, but my grandchildren will be even happier," said Chaney, who has lived on the street for 32 years. "It will be easier to shovel in the winter."

Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.