Pedestrian Program

Raleigh Pedestrian Plan

The City of Raleigh has been awarded a grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to prepare a Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan. With this plan, NCDOT and the City of Raleigh hope to meet the demands for safer pedestrian facilities for commuting, recreation, and other purposes. A comprehensive pedestrian plan promotes pedestrian safety and access to help ensure that the City of Raleigh is a safe, convenient, and attractive place to walk.

Sidewalk Projects

Have you ever wondered why certain streets have no sidewalks, or why others have sidewalks on both sides? Or maybe why the sidewalk starts and stops on the same street? In the early 1990s, the City of Raleigh created a sidewalk program for the purpose of completing missing links in the sidewalk system and improving sidewalk connectivity. New sidewalk construction can be initiated by the City or by petitions from property owners along a street.

City-Initiated Projects

Our staff receives requests for new sidewalk projects from a variety of sources, which include other departments, schools, transit providers, and directly from citizens. City-initiated projects are generally focused on fixing gaps along higher volume streets, such as thoroughfares. Each proposed sidewalk project is evaluated and ranked based on a variety of factors, including street classification, existing demand, special population needs, feasibility, and the proximity of places people want to walk to, like parks, schools, and shopping areas.

Petition Projects

New sidewalk projects on local residential streets are typically handled through a petition process by the residents along the street. The petition program for a new sidewalk requires signatures from a majority of the property owners along the street that make up the majority of the property frontage.

Other Capital Projects

The City also constructs new sidewalks as part of every roadway improvement project undertaken in Raleigh. This includes projects by either the City of Raleigh or by NCDOT.

Regardless of how the construction takes place, all new sidewalk installation includes an assessment to adjacent property owners at a rate of $6.00 per linear foot of sidewalk installed. This assessment is applied to properties on both sides of the street where a sidewalk is constructed. This assessment only covers a fraction of the cost of the new sidewalk construction and can be paid over several years at a low interest rate.

For Sidewalk Program Evaluations please contact Jennifer Baldwin.

For Sidewalk Petition Requests please contact an assessment specialist.