The sidewalks of Montopolis Drive tell the story of a big problem in small words.
Cracked. Sunken. Worn. Narrow. Uneven. Dangerous.
The half-mile of sidewalks between U.S. 183 and Riverside Drive later this year will get an upgrade intended to make moving through the neighborhood safer and more pleasant. That’s just what the community needs, said Susana Almanza, president of the Montopolis Neighborhood Association.
“They’re just terrible,” she said. “We really feel like it’s a long time coming.”
Montopolis Drive is among dozens of projects planned for this year across a city known for its haphazard network of sidewalks. It’s a chaotic 2,900-mile system where sidewalks end, then pick up again, resembling a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. There are 700 miles of such gaps throughout the city, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works.
A patchwork system with big price tags
Over the next year, the City of Austin is slated to spend $10 million on new sidewalks and $7.7 million to repair existing ones. Just 40% of the city’s sidewalks are considered “functionally acceptable.”
Until 1995, landowners were responsible for repairing sidewalks in front of their property. But many people didn’t do it, and developers weren’t required to install them.
That same year, the city updated its code, deeming sidewalks part of the public right-of-way, freeing landowners from maintenance responsibilities. By then, the city had a patchwork of neglected or non-existent sidewalks to contend with.
Voters approved mobility bonds, allocating millions of dollars toward building and repairing walkways. Between 2012 and 2020, Austinites approved more than $162 million for the work.
The funding made a dent.
In 2025, the city built or fixed up 48 miles of sidewalks. This year’s plans include work in areas including Menchaca Road, Braker Lane and East Stassney Lane.
Progress, but still less than half usable
Today, after decades of work, less than half of the city’s sidewalks are considered functionally acceptable. But that’s up from 16% in 2015 and some onlookers are impressed with the city’s sidewalk work.
It’s “actually one of the most effective programs in the city at spending taxpayers’ funds,” said Adam Greenfield of Safe Streets Austin, a nonprofit pedestrian advocacy group. “When they get bond funding, they spend it really well, and they spend it quickly, and the taxpayer sees in a pretty short period of time the environment changing.”
Sidewalks, he said, are the civic and social lifeblood of a city. They offer an alternative to driving, bring people closer to businesses and increase property values. Walkability is one of the most sought after features when buying or renting a home, according to a 2023 survey by the National Association of Realtors.
“On foot, we’re able to connect with our neighbors,” Greenfield said. “Walking has major health benefits, both physical and mental. It’s just essential.”
But sidewalks need shade, either by trees or buildings, or people won’t use them, he said. The City of Austin is focused right now on increasing its urban canopy and trying to plant more trees in rights-of-way.
The sidewalks on Montopolis Drive don’t make that easy.
Cracked, sunken and worn
Montopolis has needed new sidewalks for decades, Almanza said. The broken, worn and cracked paths make it hard for people to safely travel from place to place.
Parents struggle to push their babies in strollers, she said. Seniors have to carefully navigate the sidewalk while pulling grocery carts behind them. Narrow stretches with telephone poles jutting into the walkway get even tighter, making it all but impossible for people using wheelchairs to move through the area.
Some people avoid the sidewalks completely and just walk on the road itself.
Almanza herself struggled to get around after a car accident forced her to use a wheelchair for five months, she said.
“There was a long stretch where, every day, somebody had to help me and push me to kind of lift the wheelchair over the bad sidewalks that are cracked, or one part is sunken,” she said. “It made me realize just how difficult it is with people with disabilities.”
When the city was deciding what kind of improvements to make to the area, talk of a bus lane came up, she said. Instead, neighbors pushed for sidewalks.
Work is expected to begin later this year.
“It will definitely increase the quality of life,” Almanza said.
