Boston Council Grills Administration Over $800 Million Sidewalk Repair Backlog

BOSTON — August 13, 2025 — Boston councillors demand answers on an $800 million sidewalk backlog and a $10 million trove of abandoned developer deposits. The City Council Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology, chaired by Councillor Enrique J. Pepén, held a hearing Wednesday on Docket No. 0772, pressing Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Disabilities Commissioner Kristen McCosh, and Deputy Chief Julia Campbell on the city's progress toward a 2030 ADA consent decree deadline requiring 1,630 new curb ramps per year — a target Franklin-Hodge said the city has missed most years since signing in 2021. Franklin-Hodge disclosed that an internal audit identified more than $10 million in sidewalk deposits left by developers who never sought inspection, money the city is now moving into a dedicated repairs account. Councillor Edward M. Flynn pressed officials on Chinatown sidewalks, where underground areaways beneath buildings prevent standard repair contracts from operating. Two public witnesses — a senior who fell in April on a defect outside 1010 Massachusetts Ave and a resident services coordinator at a South End senior housing facility — told councillors that proactive defect-finding, not reactive patching after injuries occur, is what residents need most.