Greeley Public Works Deputy Chief Engineer Steven Younkin updated the city council Tuesday on sidewalk repair and construction projects, explaining why downtown is given priority for repairs and construction over other parts of the city.
The city has recently completed sidewalk repair and construction projects at 5th Street, between 14th and 23rd avenues and in the Maplewood and Wilshire neighborhoods along 13th Street. Additionally, the city has finished two pavement rehabilitation projects through its Keep Greeley Moving program.
The four projects cost the city more than $13 million, according to Younkin.
The city maintains more than 400 miles of sidewalks, and there are 62 miles of sidewalks that have yet to be built across the city. Of those 62 miles, the city is prioritizing 9 miles for construction due to its proximity to major roadways.
According to a study the city conducted earlier this year, the sidewalks with the greatest foot traffic are those around the University of Northern Colorado and in downtown Greeley. The city found in a census taken on weekdays during the spring of 2024 that pedestrians made about 7,800 trips along those sidewalks, with an average trip length of four-tenths of a mile. More than half of those trips were for shopping or getting home.
“People are making a lot of trips in the city via sidewalk,” Younkin said. “I think we often envision it’ll be for recreational use, but we found that the actual most common use is for shopping and trips home.”
The public works department determines the priority of sidewalk repairs based on its proximity to parks and nature areas, zones marked for economic growth called priority investment zones, schools, parks and transit areas.
A map of Greeley sidewalks that are color-coded based on their priority as established by the Greeley Public Works Department. (Courtesy/ Greeley Public Works Department)Another factor in prioritization is the level of traffic stress an area receives, which is determined by the nearby traffic volume, traffic speed, width of the sidewalk and the distance from the sidewalk to the road. Public works staff ranks the sidewalk’s stress level on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest amount of stress and a sidewalk the city should prioritize. The majority of Greeley sidewalks rank around a 2 or a 3, though there are a good number of high-stress sidewalks within the city as well.
Councilwoman Melissa McDonald drew attention to one of those high-stress level sidewalks along 20th Street between the intersections of 71st and 47th avenues, where she said walking feels like she’s “taking my life into my own hands” because of how fast the cars move in that area.
Younkin stated that the city is working on lowering the speed limit along that street to less than the current 55 mph limit, which he and council members agreed is not the true speed of cars traveling that road.
To make that change, city staff will need approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation since they control the speed limit on that road, and they’ll need to make changes to the road to get that approval. The city is in the process of deciding what those changes will be.
“It’s frustrating that we alone can’t control that because that area is too fast,” Mayor John Gates said. “But I know you’re trying, and I thank you.”
Councilman Dale Hall then asked about how much input from residents factors into prioritization for sidewalk repair. Though they listen to complaints, Younkin said, staff don’t believe they’re an accurate representation of need, so Public Works use other means for determining priority.
“Citizen complaints do factor into it, but we don’t want that to be the only factor,” Younkin said.
Public Works Director Paul Trombino was quick to add that though it’s not a big factor in setting the agenda for the construction and rehabilitation of sidewalks, residents can still call the public works department or text about damaged sidewalks or roads and someone from the department will be out within 24-48 hours to address the issue.
To report a damaged sidewalk, call or text 970-350-9881, or go to greeleygov.com/services/pw/home to file a report online.
Public Works plans to spend about $10 million on sidewalk construction and repair in 2025, which will be funded by the Keep Greeley Moving program. The program is a 0.65% tax on non-grocery purchases in Greeley that was adopted in 2015 and renewed again in 2022.
The department also plans to asses sidewalk conditions across the city by the end of next year.
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