While still enjoying my early morning coffee, the quiet atmosphere of our neighborhood was interrupted by the piercing whine of a motor. Since the timing was not right for the weekly appearance of the mowing crew, I peeked out the front door to discover a worker with a concrete saw at the corner. An exciting development!

Having made the move to this efficient, slab-on-grade, no-step house, our excursions around the neighborhood have been limited as the easy rolling sidewalk to our east ended abruptly in weeds and construction debris contained by concrete curb. The current practice has the contractor pouring the public sidewalk as a new house nears completion whereas the responsibility for the ramped corners falls to a city contractor. This work occurs under a separate contract and on a different schedule.

I called Public Works in May and learned that the infrastructure contract for curbcuts, citywide, had just been approved by the City Council. The city staffer reported that work would occur over the summer and be completed by mid-October. However, she did not have any specifics as to when we might see an improvement at the corner of Solstice Place and Maize Avenue.

Well today is the day when the curb will be leveled and the corner retrofitted with a tactile surface for the visually impaired. Once the concrete cures, the new curbcuts will enable easy rolling whether Richard opts for his Ferrari-red walker or his carbon-fiber electric wheelchair. More neighborhood adventures to come.

Graphic credit:  University of Kentucky ©2025, Highway Knowledge Portal