Street & sidewalk repair
Fixing and maintaining roads, sidewalks and curb ramps so they are smooth and accessible.
Residents consistently ask the City to fill potholes, repair and level broken sidewalks, and add accessible curb ramps, with a focus on safety for seniors and people with disabilities.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
169 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 55 | 4.5% | 12 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 59 | 4.9% | 8 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 55 | 4.2% | 12 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Fill potholes and repave rough streets
Residents across all three cycles ask for potholes to be filled and damaged streets repaved, citing vehicle damage, crashes and risks to cyclists and pedestrians.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Repair uneven and broken sidewalks
Cracked, uneven, root-lifted and brick sidewalks are described as trip and fall hazards, especially for older adults, wheelchair users and families with strollers.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Accessible curb ramps and crossings
Residents ask for repaired and added curb ramps and accessible crossings, noting that ramps are of little use next to broken sidewalk.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Tree roots and tree pits that damage sidewalks
Residents ask for fixes where roots lift sidewalks or trees narrow the walking space, including permeable paving and no trees planted mid-sidewalk.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Priority for seniors, schools and underserved areas
Residents ask that repairs go first to places used by older adults and children, such as senior housing, schools and Chinatown, and to neighborhoods that feel overlooked.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
Ideas centered on sidewalk repair and accessibility, with calls for citywide sidewalk audits and master plans, help converting private ways to public streets, and pothole fixes.
2025–26
Many near-identical ideas from Chinatown asked for repairs to cracks, potholes and uneven streets near senior housing and schools, alongside broad pothole and street repair requests.
2026–27
Sidewalk repair in front of Chinatown shops and near key destinations was prominent, along with many short citywide requests to fix roads and potholes, plus new asks on snow clearing and repair scheduling.
New in 2026–27
New or growing asks include city-run sidewalk snow clearing, scheduling road work at low-disruption times, permeable paving over tree roots, and prioritizing repairs near senior centers, bus stops and business frontages.
Funding so far
No winning project in this theme was funded by resident vote, so recurring asks for pothole repair, sidewalk repair, curb ramps and fixes to tree-root damage have not yet been addressed.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Departments that often lead this work
- Public Works
- Boston Transportation Department
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Street & sidewalk repair
169 ideas
2024–25: 55 · 2025–26: 59 · 2026–27: 55
- Fix streets, add parks and improve safetyThe resident asks the City to repair streets and also wants more parks and greater safety in the neighborhood.2025–26City-wide
- Repair bad streetsResident says many streets are in bad condition and need repair.2025–26City-wide
- Repair uneven and damaged sidewalks citywideFund maintenance and repair of uneven, root-damaged and broken brick sidewalks so they are accessible to wheelchairs, strollers and people with limited mobility.2025–26City-wide
- Repair roads, especially all of Blue Hill AvenueFix the roads, particularly the entire length of Blue Hill Avenue.2025–26City-wide
- Fix potholes on Euston StreetRepair the potholes on Euston Street.2025–26Brighton
- Replace South End brick sidewalks with safer onesRemove the brick sidewalks in the South End and replace them with regular sidewalks, because they are dangerous, especially for older people; the resident fell recently.2025–26South End
- Artistic repainting of Red Line bridge over Charles StThe resident asks to paint the Red Line bridge over Charles Street artistically to brighten the decaying bridge and benefit the community.2025–26Unspecified
- Wheelchair-accessible curb rampsThe resident asks for more street access for wheelchair users because curbs are too high for people to move around well.2025–26City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Street repairs and more green areasResident says streets are in poor condition and asks for more money for repairs and more green spaces to improve air quality for people with breathing problems.2025–26City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Fix sidewalks in East BostonResident asks to improve the appearance and condition of East Boston by repairing its sidewalks, for the benefit of people of all backgrounds.2025–26East Boston
- Redo brick sidewalks at Adams CornerResident asks for the brick sidewalks at Adams Corner to be redone to make the area look nicer.2025–26Dorchester
- Fix pothole to make Boston saferThe resident asks for a pothole to be repaired to make Boston safer for residents and visitors.2025–26City-wide
- Pothole repair, lighting, police and community programsThe resident lists many needs, including pothole repair, more street lights, extra police, senior center funding, fitness discounts, rent and utility help, concerts, Vine Street Community Center, and youth programs.2025–26Roxbury
- Fix West End sidewalks for elderly residentsThe resident says West End sidewalks are in poor condition and asks for repairs so elderly people can walk without falling.2025–26West End
- More help repairing damaged streetsResident asks the City to do more to repair many damaged streets, saying the poor conditions seriously harm the community.2024–25City-wide
- Pave potholes in the South EndResident asks the city to repair potholes in the South End, calling the roads very poor and a basic service need.2024–25South End
- Make streets, sidewalks and transit accessible for disabled peopleResident asks for a full effort to make streets, sidewalks and transportation accessible to people with a variety of disabilities, saying equal access is a human right.2024–25City-wide
- Repave Clarendon and Berkeley StreetsResident asks for repaving of Clarendon Street and Berkeley Street between Columbus Avenue and Beacon Street, whose poor condition damages tires and wheels.2024–25Dorchester
- New sidewalks and streets, fewer speed bumpsResident wants new sidewalks and streets and fewer speed bumps so people can get around faster and the community looks better.2024–25City-wide
- City sidewalk snow clearing pilotResident proposes a pilot where city workers clear sidewalks after snow, helping seniors, disabled residents and transit riders, replacing fines, and possibly creating youth jobs.2024–25City-wide