Ladue installs a new sidewalk--and is it worth the investment? A cost comparision of sidewalks vs roads

Today the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a story about Ladue's new $1.35 million sidewalk along McKnight Road

Sidewalk installation
Sidewalk installation

You'll notice that commenters on the news site immediately start complaining about the high cost.  But somehow it's only the cost of the sidewalk, not the cost of the road that's the problem?  Both sidewalks and roads cost pretty astronomical amounts compared with the average household budget.  

Take a look at the chart below comparing the per-mile costs of sidewalks vs. trails vs. various types of roads.  What you'll see is that roads cost between 10X and 50X as much as a comparable length of sidewalk or trail.

Even a simple road resurfacing costs far more than new sidewalk construction.

What's more, the lack of sidewalk costs the community every day--in worsened health, in additional pollution, in lack of mobility for the 30% of citizens who can't drive.  In fact, installing bicycle and pedestrian facilities has about a 20-1 benefit-cost ratio.

Data source: Florida DOT

 

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