WALK THIS WAY

If it seems like there’s been a lot of sidewalks getting fi xed lately, well, there has been.

The city of Springfi eld expects to spend $900,000 repairing and replacing sidewalks this year, an increase of about $200,000 over last year, according to public works director Mark Mahoney.

“It’s a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket,” Mahoney says.

Estimates to bring every sidewalk up to snuff range as high as $30 million, Mahoney says. The city will likely come up with another estimate, he said, given that a sales-tax increase approved by the city council a few months ago will bring in millions of dollars for improvements to infrastructure, including sidewalks.

“Next year, we anticipate tripling what we’re doing on sidewalks,” Mahoney said.