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Woman in wheelchair says utility pole blocks Denver sidewalk, creating hazard

Contact7: City denies responsibility for sidewalk
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DENVER – Around a portion of the sidewalk near West 14th and Irving where a utility pole sits, Jeanie Chase, who is on a wheelchair, has to be extra careful. She says she can’t pass through because the pole makes a portion of the sidewalk too narrow. 

Chase is forced to either go on the busy street or into the grass where she could easily fall and damage her wheelchair. 

She reached out to the city asking them to expand the sidewalk but the city hasn’t done anything.

Denver7 reached out to the city and the city says it’s looking into the matter but issued the following statement: ”The city has historically not been in the business of fixing sidewalks, as city ordinance places the responsibility of sidewalks on adjacent property owners.”

But Jill Locantore with WalkDenver, which is a grassroots group that advocates for better sidewalks, says the issue lies in the right of way governed by the city’s right of way regulations.