Mary-Lee Kimber is an attorney with Disability Rights Advocates, one of the groups that filed the suit. She says people with mobility and vision disabilities told them about access barriers on sidewalks and park-and-ride facilities maintained by Caltrans.
“…such as a curb that doesn’t have a curb ramp to the street or sidewalks that are too narrow for a wheelchair to use. These were the kinds of issues that we were hearing about Caltrans sidewalks.”
Caltrans has agreed to fix and maintain 2,500 miles of sidewalks and lanes. But the agency’s Director Randy Iwasaki says the money will have to be diverted from other projects.
“So there may be one year a little bit less pavement rehabilitation, there may be a little less bridge rehabilitation or you may not see a roadside rest being refurbished in the future.”
The settlement is set to be filed in federal court next week and is expected to be made final next April.