Sidewalk Repair Project prioritizes hazards under worst-first strategy in Lacey

The City of Lacey has authorized its largest sidewalk rehabilitation effort to date, scheduling 160 working days of repairs beginning in October under the 2025 Sidewalk Repair Project. 

The $1,296,654 contract was awarded to R.W. Scott Construction Co. of Auburn after the company submitted the lowest of 13 bids. It came in well below the City of Lacey Public Works estimate of $1.78 million.  

The Lacey City Council unanimously approved the contract at a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

The 2025 Sidewalk Repair Project calls for the reconstruction of about 45,000 square feet of sidewalks and driveways, installation of 10 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps, planting of about 250 new city-approved street trees, and placement of 7,600 feet of root barrier. 

The contract also covers repairs to 42% of citywide sidewalk displacements greater than 2 inches, and fixes at more than 88 additional hazardous sites where lifts exceed 1.25 inches. 

Public Works Director Scott Egger described the work sequence. 

“We go in, we remove the trees, remove the root balls, remove the sidewalk panels, and then we re-pour the concrete,” he said.  

He added that irrigation and soil disturbed during excavation would be restored and buffer strips replanted. 

Mayor Andy Ryder said the work improves daily mobility. 

“This is like a quality of life for large segment of our population,” Ryder said. “Especially those who are in wheelchairs and everything that need our sidewalks to be functional. … I’m really happy that we’re getting this work done.” 

Addressing sidewalk hazards 

The 2025 Sidewalk Repair Project surpasses previous repair efforts in size.  

Lacey replaced about 10,000 square feet of sidewalk in 2019, 14,000 in 2021 and 23,000 in 2022. 

The city revealed about 18,000 sidewalk offsets caused mostly by tree roots. Egger said city government prioritized a “worst-first” strategy, but also distributed work geographically. 

“One of our goals was to spread the work throughout the city, since we have 18,000 of these offsets throughout the city, so we wanted to distribute it and take somewhat of a worse-first approach,” Egger said. 

About 42% of displacements greater than 2 inches is going to be repaired through reconstruction. Another 88 high-risk sites, with lifts above 1.25 inches, are also targeted. 

Egger credited Transportation Senior Maintenance Technician Sarah Buck and her team with addressing smaller hazards using a vacuum device, known as the “sidewalk sucker.”  

The tool lifts panels, trims encroaching roots and resets them, allowing crews to complete 300 to 400 panels per year on offsets between 1.25 and 2 inches. 

Egger cautioned that the method is temporary. 

“Roots grow back. That’s not permanent, you know, it will displace the sidewalk,” he said. 

The 2025 Sidewalk Repair Project complements the in-house program by tackling the largest hazards with full reconstruction, while Buck’s team manages smaller sites. 

The two mentioned approaches are projected to eliminate a significant share of hazards.  

Contract execution, as Egger elaborated, typically requires one to two months post-approval, placing a likely October start and 160 working days span that may extend into early 2026 if delays occur. 

Project financing derives from the Transportation Improvement Fund using Transportation Benefit District revenues. The allocation was included in Lacey’s 2025 capital program adopted last year. 

Ryder said past tree planting decisions created long-term conflicts with sidewalks. 

“Decisions were made on trees that you know, caused problems over the years. And we are, you know, we’ve learned that the hard way in some cases,” he said. 

The mayor also stressed the importance of the work. 

 “This is a really important program to me, and I think a lot of people in the City of Lacey. … I’m really proud of the work we’re doing in this area and hope we will continue to do, because it changes the quality of life and safety for a lot of our residents,” Ryder said.