Environmental Services
Getting A Sidewalk In Your Neighborhood
Why Do Neighborhoods Need Sidewalks?
Sidewalks provide a safe and level walkway in the neighborhood; as health consciousness increases, people are enjoying the simple but effective exercise of walking.
Sidewalks provide safer places for children to walk and play (instead of the street).
Sidewalks allow neighbors to visit one another without having to walk in the street or through front yards.
Sidewalks enhance the appearance of individual properties, neighborhoods, and the entire community.
Sidewalks provide a safer walk to schools, bus stops, shops, and Metro stations during inclement weather.
Sidewalks with curb and gutter help protect property frontage from damage due to erosion and parking.
How Do You Get a Sidewalk Installed?
Arlington County offers several options for residents to have sidewalks constructed in their neighborhoods. These vary in terms of timing of projects, eligibility, and neighborhood participation.Option 1 : Neighborhood Conservation Program
The residents do not pay for the cost of sidewalk construction. To qualify, a neighborhood must be within an approved Neighborhood Conservation Area and 60 percent of affected property owners must sign a petition requesting the improvement. This entire process usually takes about two to three years.
Option 2 : County-Initiated Sidewalk ConstructionThis program covers major thoroughfares, commercial, and "collector streets" – main routes that feed into major thoroughfares. There are no petitions required to qualify a project. This process usually takes at least one year to complete. The County also has a "Safe Routes to Schools" Program which constructs sidewalks along important routes within 1/4 mile of a school. No petition is required to qualify a project and the project usually takes about one to two years to complete.
Costs
There is no cost for new concrete sidewalk, curb and gutter improvements on any new or existing project not completed. There is also no cost for replacing existing sidewalks, curbs and gutters, new streetlights installation, and for necessary restoration work within residential districts.
Repairs:
Residential Concrete Repair form
Picture of a typical missing sidewalk before
Picture of a typical missing sidewalk afterFor details on any one, or all, of the programs outlined here, Email cnixon (at) arlingtonva.us and include:ude:
- Your name
- address
- daytime phone
- and a description of the limits of the proposed sidewalk area ( for example:"4600 block of X Street, from A street to B street"
County Staff are available to explain the various programs to neighbors in a block meeting.
Or write to:
Arlington County
Department of Community Planning,
Housing & Development
#1 Courthouse Plaza, Suite 608
2100 Clarendon Blvd
Arlington, Virginia 22201
703-228-3830
Fax: 703-228-3834
Thank you for your interest in the street improvement programs of Arlington County.
