It’s a project that’s been in the works for more than two years but is now coming to fruition.

The Sedona City Council on Tuesday, April 12, approved a contract by a unanimous vote to complete the Uptown pedestrian access project in the amount of $1,049,935 to Kinney Construction Services.

Nearly $800,000 of that is budgeted in the current fiscal year while $250,000 will be included in next year’s budget.

In 2013, the city selected Peak Engineering to conduct a concept study of the area to assess the Uptown merchants’ and residents’ interest in various improvements including a median and construction of sidewalks, lights and other pedestrian access improvements.

The concept study recommended that the city construct an improved walkway with Americans With Disabilities Act access and lighting adjacent to Wayside Bible Chapel for better pedestrian access to Uptown from the municipal parking lot and the Wayside public parking area.

In October 2014, council approved a professional services contract with Peak to design the improved walkway. The design includes an ADA sidewalk from the municipal parking lot on Schnebly Road to the Wayside property, improved lighting, a prefabricated bridge adjacent to the Wayside building and an elevator and stairway connection adjacent to State Route 89A.

Councilman John Martinez asked if having the ADA pathway was required, especially since he’s heard there are few wheelchair-bound visitors to Uptown. Assistant City Manager Karen Daines said in this case, ADA compliance at Wayside is not mandated since there is wheelchair accessibility from the municipal parking lot north on Schnebly Road and down Jordan Road. This would be a more convenient and direct route for those with disabilities and make that parking lot more usable to those individuals, Daines said.

However, in regard to ADA accessibility in general within the city, Public Works Director and City Engineer Andy Dickey said it’s required by law.

“We were audited [unknown year] and were required to make a lot of improvements across the city,” he said. “As I recall it was somewhere in the range of $700,000 to $800,000 worth of improvements that we had made as a result of the audit by the U.S Department of Justice.”

Daines said the idea for these overall improvements stemmed from recommendations made in 2012 by an Uptown Parking Advisory Committee.

“There was concern about the fact we had this large investment in this Uptown Municipal Parking Lot with 143 spaces and it was really
underutilized because of a lot of access type of issues like lighting, ADA, etc.,” she said.

Now that the contract has been approved, KCS can begin procuring the elevator and bridge structure. Initial construction activity on the site is expected to begin in late May with a completion date set for October. There will be no lane closures along State Route 89A and little, if any, traffic delays are anticipated. The completion of this project will allow the Uptown parking meters on Main Street to proceed.