Broken brick problem will be smoothed out over the next few weeks in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The aging brick walkways in downtown Santa Barbara are going to get a close inspection in the next few weeks, and some work will be done to smooth out problem areas.

Starting March 3th, the city is repairing bricks that have gone missing, loosened up or are uneven. They have become trip-and-fall hazards for the pedestrians using the area.

The target zone for the work will be between Gutierrez St. and Victoria St.

The work starts between Gutierrez and Cota Streets. It should be done by mid-April.

There will also be work on the bricks around west and east Carrillo St. at State St.

The city says it wants to "keep sidewalks safe and well-maintained in the downtown business area."

One pedestrian Sandy Lynch was walking in the area today and said, "it just caught, and I tripped. I didn't trip, I caught it." That's how she explained a near fall. "You better not be looking at your phone using that  because these are uneven streets. It's beautiful and it's quaint, but it's dangerous."

Janice Daily said, "I have to make sure  I don't shuffle or anything like that because it will catch my toe. "

There were downtown pedestrians who said the bricks weren't terribly bad and did not see the need for any major repairs. Bart Dickens said, "I am always in favor of sprucing up the streets."

Chris Smith walks in the area regularly and had no problem with a close up look at the bricks.

"Yeah. It looks beautiful so far. But the safety issues surely a thing to be fixed. "

Pedestrian access will remain open in most cases while the work is done.

Some sections of the walkway will be closed during the project.

Business owners will be notified in advance if crews are going to be in their block or in front of their doors.