Video: Pedestrians saddled by sidewalk construction

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SEATTLE - Seattle wants more of us to get out of our cars and talk a walk or ride a bike. But some pedestrians complain they're tired of winding through a maze of sidewalk construction projects.

Seattle Department of Transportation staff just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. to see how that city successfully juggles construction and pedestrian access. Right now, there are almost 70 sidewalks closed in Seattle because of private construction.

Based on complaints, the Seattle city auditor conducted a recent study to see how well Seattle helps its pedestrians maneuver around construction. The auditor found the city needs to better job getting pedestrian through the patchwork of closures.

The audit says they need to better coordinate projects in the same area and improve inspections of construction projects. When a contractor isn't following the rules, the city needs to check-in and enforce those rules. The audit also says pedestrian access should be a priority through construction.

Some pedestrians complain construction is always changing their route to work.

"It changes every day because you never know which sidewalk is going to be open and which one isn't," said Sue Daley, pedestrian. "And sometimes you get to an intersection and you realize you have to cross and then you have to cross back because you realize they've closed it."

Based on the audit, the city plans on taking action. Staff plans on working to better enforce Americans with disabilities accessibility standards. They plan on dedicating a street inspector to coordinate multiple construction projects and eventually make information on sidewalk closures available on their Web site.

Right now, a lot of other cities put a strong emphasis on making sure contractors install covered walkways to allow people to walk through construction areas. The city says it's looking closely at that to see if it makes sense for Seattle to encourage its contractors to do the same.