Lansing has a lot of old sidewalk. On streets lined with mature maples and oaks, roots lift slabs year after year. Add a few decades of freeze-thaw and plow damage, and you get tilted squares, raised edges and cracks that catch toes, strollers and snow shovels. Replacing them makes your property safer for everyone who walks past it.
Walkways we pour
- Public sidewalk squares: replacing heaved, sunken or broken sections in front of your home or business
- Front walks: from the driveway or street to your front door
- Side and backyard paths: to the garage, the shed, the garden or the patio
- Steps and landings: where a walkway meets a slope or a porch
Trip hazards and liability
A raised edge of only an inch or so is enough to trip someone, and in many communities the property owner is responsible for keeping the public sidewalk in front of their lot in good repair. If you've received a notice from the city about a damaged square, or you just don't like watching the mail carrier step around it, Lansing Concrete Co can replace the affected sections so they match neatly with the sidewalk on either side.
Doing it properly
A walkway is a small slab, but the same rules apply. The broken concrete is removed, the base is compacted and leveled, and new concrete is placed at the right thickness, with a broom finish for grip, tooled edges and joints that line up with the existing pattern. Where a tree root caused the heave, we'll talk through the options, because simply pouring over a growing root means doing the job again in a few years.
Permits
Sidewalks in the public right-of-way are regulated by the city or township, and some require a permit and inspection before the concrete is placed. Tell us your address and we'll let you know what applies.
Concrete Sidewalks: common questions
Can you replace just one or two squares?
Yes. Many sidewalk jobs are only a few sections, cut out cleanly and matched to the walk on either side.
Will the new squares match the old ones?
New concrete starts out lighter than weathered concrete, so it will look brighter at first. It darkens and blends over the first few seasons.
Can you add a walkway to my existing driveway?
Yes. New walks are tied into existing slabs with an isolation joint so each can move independently.
