Boston's Beacon Hill To Get Handicapped Ramps

Boston's historic Beacon Hill neighborhood is getting sidewalk ramps for the disabled over the objections of some residents who say it will destroy the area's character.

Mayor Martin Walsh and other city officials told about 125 residents at a meeting Thursday that the first 13 of more than 250 ramps designed to make it easier for the disabled to navigate the neighborhood's maze of cobblestone streets will be installed in the coming weeks.

The Boston Globe reports that residents have long resisted efforts to cut ramps into sidewalks and to install tactile warning strips on curbs, arguing the modifications would mar the neighborhood's Colonial charm.

Walsh says federal law requires installation of ramps.

Some residents wanted ramps made of materials consistent with the neighborhood, but city officials say that's too expensive.