Broken sidewalk leaves mobility scooter users navigating road traffic in St. Joseph  

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- Trudy Corcoran has lived at San Francis Apartments for the past four years and has always taken her mobility scooter to run errands.

Now, a broken sidewalk near Mitchell Avenue and South 38th Street is making it difficult for her and others in the area to get around safely. 

After receiving a voicemail from Corcoran’s grandson about the issue, KQ2 reached out to learn more. 

“They have it all blocked off because this little piece of it is broken off so you can’t use it and they blocked the whole thing off instead of fixing it,” Corcoran said.  

For Corcoran, who uses a mobility scooter to get around, this means she can no longer use the sidewalk to reach the nearby shopping center. Instead, she has to use the main road, putting herself in the path of oncoming traffic. 

Corcoran said the sidewalk has been in this condition for nearly two years.  

“I go to the shopping center probably three times a week; sometimes I even go more than once a day,” she said.  

She said she’s not the only one affected. Others in the area, especially people who use mobility scooters or wheelchairs, have similar concerns. 

Corcoran said her grandson has contacted the City several times about the problem but never received a response. 

KQ2 reached out to the City of St. Joseph to find out where the responsibility lies when it comes to repairs for the area of the sidewalk, and what is being done to address the issue.

The City said it had delivered written notice to the property owner on Sept. 22, explaining that, under city ordinance, sidewalk repairs are the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. 

The owner was given 30 days, through Oct. 22, to complete the repairs.

In addition, the sidewalk will remain closed until the work is finished and city staff verifies the repairs. 

The adjacent property owner at the intersection is La Mesa, which acknowledged the issue and apologized for the inconvenience.  

Corcoran hopes the sidewalk will be fixed soon so she and others can safely use it again. 

“It won’t take them very long or very much to fix it. It’s just part of it, not the whole thing, but just a piece of it,” she said. 

In a statement, the restaurant’s maintenance department said it has been working to speed up the repairs but has faced delays getting the materials needed to complete the work. 

The department attributed the delay to logistical challenges caused by the current diesel fuel crisis, which has affected the delivery of materials needed to ensure the repairs last. 

La Mesa said it expects the materials to arrive within the next few days, with repairs expected to be completed before the end of October.