Honolulu is facing a political discussion over sidewalks. After decades of partial repairs leaving hundreds of miles of pedestrian routes incomplete, a proposal before the city Charter Commission could assign full responsibility for sidewalk construction to the county. Planners say closing the gaps would cost billions and take years, and with the commission reviewing multiple charter change proposals, the question of funding has returned to the forefront.
A citizen-backed amendment that would make sidewalk construction an explicit city responsibility has passed the Charter Commission’s initial review and advanced to the next stage, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. The proposal is one of several public safety measures submitted during a record number of applications last fall. Supporters say the change would provide legal clarity for residents who currently walk along streets without sidewalks.
What the city plan found
The City and County of Honolulu’s Oʻahu Pedestrian Plan identifies about 901 miles of missing sidewalks across the island and estimates the cost to fill those gaps at over $2.6 billion. The plan highlights high-injury corridors that account for a large share of serious pedestrian crashes and provides a ranked list of missing-sidewalk projects to guide future spending. City staff describe the initiative as a multi-decade effort that will rely on a combination of grants, street repaving, and standalone construction.
The price tag and design hurdles
The city’s Complete Streets administrator said the cost of building a mile of sidewalk varies depending on factors like drainage, curb work, and limited rights of way. In an interview with Honolulu Civil Beat, she noted that construction previously averaged around $1 million per mile before recent inflation, with planning and design adding roughly 50 percent. In older neighborhoods where retrofitting is more complex, projects can cost several million per mile. Spread across hundreds of miles, the city’s sidewalk backlog could occupy capital budgets for years.
Where the city is already working
Through its Complete Streets program, Honolulu has divided the island into project areas and publishes detailed concepts and outreach materials for priority corridors. Neighborhood pages provide maps and fact sheets for communities like Kalihi and other parts of Oʻahu, showing how the city is breaking projects into smaller segments aligned with repaving schedules, transit access, and routes used by students.
Ballot timing and the politics
The Charter Commission is currently reviewing submissions and plans to decide next summer which proposals will go to voters, with any approved amendments scheduled for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, according to the Honolulu Charter Commission. If the sidewalk proposal reaches the ballot, it would follow an earlier transportation-related change: in 2006, voters approved a charter amendment making pedestrian and bicycle friendliness a city priority, with about three-quarters in favor.
Making sidewalk construction a charter responsibility would change how projects are prioritized, but it would not create new funding. City officials point to a combination of federal grants, local capital funds, and phased construction to gradually address the miles of missing sidewalks. Residents and neighborhood boards are expected to advocate for faster improvements on streets they use most. As the debate continues, voters are likely to weigh the tradeoff between improving safety and equity and the costs and timelines involved in completing a multibillion-dollar program.
