Project Sidewalk, the crowd-sourced map of D.C.’s least accessible sidewalks, is nearly complete

In Washington, D.C., it’s not uncommon to hear complaints about potholes in the road, making it difficult for drivers to go from one place to the next, but it can be even more arduous for those who try to navigate the city by walking, especially if they have mobility impairments.

In February 2017, Curbed DC reported that the University of Maryland introduced a brand new Walk Score-inspired map, called Project Sidewalk. This map allows the public to catalog and rate the accessibility of sidewalks and curb ramps and any obstacles like fire hydrants or crumbling pavement.

At the time, there were 64,000 labels and 463 miles of D.C. roads covered. In a recent Facebook post, Project Sidewalk confirmed that there are now over 100,000 accessibility labels across 763 miles of the city, which is over 70 percent of D.C.

With Census data, Mobility Lab reported that 30.6 million Americans older than 15 live with mobility impairments. If interested in helping map the least accessible sidewalks in order to make a difference, check out the map here.

• Project Sidewalk [Official Website]

• Make D.C.'s sidewalks more accessible with this crowd-sourced map [Curbed DC]

• University of Maryland project looks to crowdsource an accessibility map of DC’s sidewalks[Mobility Lab]