Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that as part of his 2019 proposed budget, the City of Chicago will expand its Shared Cost Sidewalk Program, increasing funding by $1 million to meet the high demand for the popular program through which the City subsidizes part of the cost of fixing homeowner’s sidewalks. The new expansion follows a $500,000 increase in funding for the program in 2017. The Shared Cost Sidewalk Program run by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is a popular voluntary program which has helped cover the cost of sidewalk repairs for an average of 840 property owners annually over the last five years. Under the Mayor’s proposed budget, funding for the program will be increased by $1 million, from $3 million to $4 million per year. The increased funding will allow an estimated 315 more property owners to take advantage of the program, which provides sidewalk repairs at a reduced cost.