Boise residents who walk or bike through the West End neighborhood may notice uneven sidewalk coverage — some blocks are well-connected while alleyways and older corridors lack pedestrian infrastructure entirely. The answer to why lies largely in history, geography, and the limits of what Ada County Highway District is both empowered and funded to do.
A Neighborhood That Predates Modern Road Standards
Boise was founded in 1863, and the West End began developing around the turn of the century — decades before sidewalks became a standard feature of residential street construction. When the Ada County Highway District was established in 1972, it inherited a patchwork of older neighborhoods across Ada County that had been built without consistent pedestrian infrastructure.
That legacy shapes what residents see today. Many neighborhoods throughout Ada County simply lack complete sidewalk networks because the streets were laid out under different expectations, and there was no single agency responsible for retroactively filling those gaps. The West End is not unique in this respect, though it does fare better than many comparable areas in the county.
In fact, ACHD considers the West End to have one of the more complete sidewalk networks among older Ada County neighborhoods. Pedestrians can find sidewalks running along both sides of 28th Street, and coverage extends along 27th Street near the corner of Stewart Avenue — the area around Alchemist Coffee — giving residents reasonable walking access along major corridors.
The Alleyway Problem
Where the West End does fall short is in its alleyways. Several of these cut-throughs lack any sidewalk infrastructure, and the reason is straightforward: most are simply too narrow to accommodate both pedestrian walkways and vehicle traffic at the same time.
ACHD spokesperson Rachel Bjornestad explained the constraint plainly. “Alleyways are typically narrow, so in most cases, there is not enough right-of-way available to construct sidewalks while still maintaining vehicle access,” she said.
Building a sidewalk requires dedicated right-of-way — physical space between the travel lane and property lines. In older alleyways that were designed strictly for vehicle access and utility service, that space simply does not exist without eliminating vehicle access entirely, which is generally not a viable option.
What the Law Does and Doesn’t Require
Some residents may assume the Americans with Disabilities Act requires government agencies to build out sidewalk networks wherever gaps exist. That is a common misconception. The ADA does not obligate agencies to construct new sidewalks in locations where none currently exist. The law does require that whenever a sidewalk is built or upgraded, it must meet current ADA compliance standards — but that trigger only applies when construction is already underway.
This distinction matters for West End residents hoping that accessibility law might force ACHD’s hand. Without a construction project already planned for a given stretch of road, the ADA does not independently compel new sidewalk installation.
ACHD Programs and the Five-Year Plan
ACHD does operate a program called Safe Sidewalks, which is designed to address small gaps in pedestrian coverage — particularly along school routes or in response to direct community requests. The program offers a targeted way for neighborhoods to flag problem areas and potentially move projects up in priority.
However, as of now, no new sidewalk construction projects are included in ACHD’s five-year plan for the West End area. That means residents should not expect near-term improvements through the agency’s standard capital planning process.
For Boise families and homeowners in the West End, the most direct path to change is likely through the Safe Sidewalks program — submitting requests that document specific gaps, especially those near schools or high-pedestrian corridors. Those submissions can influence where ACHD directs limited resources in future planning cycles.
Infrastructure decisions like this one — balancing limited budgets against the needs of older neighborhoods — reflect a broader challenge facing Ada County as the Treasure Valley continues to grow. Newer developments in areas like Meridian and Eagle are typically built with complete sidewalk networks from the start, while older Boise neighborhoods are left navigating a slower, request-driven process to catch up.
What Comes Next
West End residents interested in advocating for new sidewalk connections can submit requests through ACHD’s Safe Sidewalks program at achdidaho.org. Those with concerns about specific gaps near schools or major pedestrian routes are encouraged to document locations and contact ACHD directly. Ada County taxpayers curious about how road and infrastructure dollars are being spent can also track ACHD’s five-year project plan, which outlines planned construction priorities across the county.