Tag: Sidewalk Cracks

Have you ever driven through a parking lot or walked down a sidewalk and noticed what bad condition either surface was in? Perhaps, you’re hit a pothole that’s damaged your car or sprained your ankle due to damaged concrete. If that’s the case, you’re not alone. But what do you do afterwards? You can deal with your car and body, but what do you do about the concrete or asphalt that caused the issue to begin with? Read on to find out.

Reporting Sidewalk Cracks

Depending on the area of the country you live in, sidewalks are the responsibility of several different people. They could be part of the city, part of an establishment or part of a community. It’s important to locate the right contact to report issues with a sidewalk to, in order to ensure the issue reaches the right people.

In many cities, sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owners the sidewalks are connected to or the city themselves. The first call you make should be to the city to find out which one it is. If it’s the city, you can let them know right then and there what the issue, where it’s located and what happened that made you notice it. They will then do what they can to either fix or repair it within a reasonable amount of time.

If a community, business or property is responsible for sidewalks, it can get a little more tricky to get concrete cracks taken care of. In many cases, those that are supposed to take care of concrete sidewalks just neglect them because they don’t want to spend the money on them. It can be a hassle to deal with these folks, because they don’t care and don’t want to fix concrete issues on their property. You have to be persistent, and if they don’t respond in some way, you may have to report them to the city, anyway.

Ever been on a walk and caught your foot in a concrete crack or asphalt pothole? If so, you know how painful it can be. While most concrete cracks aren’t that serious, if left unattended for a while, they can grow and become an issue for those using sidewalks and walkways. Here’s how to avoid concrete cracks and keep your ankles safe.

Avoiding Concrete Cracks

The number one way to avoid concrete cracks is to ensure concrete is maintained throughout its lifetime. Depending on where the concrete is, different people may be in charge of maintaining it. If you notice issues with the concrete, such as cracks, you’ll want to report it to who is in charge of maintaining it. If you can’t find information to do that, call the city and report it to them who will either take care of it or give you information to contact who does.

If concrete is showing signs of wear and tear, it’ll begin cracking. These cracks usually start at the edge of a concrete block and work their way in, growing larger and more out of control as time goes on. If it’s a block of concrete that’s heavily traveled, you’ll see a simple crack turn into something much larger very quickly which can cause more issues when left unfixed.

Concrete cracks can’t be avoided. Eventually, concrete will start to get chipped and cracked. It’s important to do everything you can before that to extend the lifetime duration of the concrete and once you notice an issue, fill it or repair it the best you can. The worst thing you can do for a concrete crack is to let it go unrepaired for even a short amount of time, this can cause long-term issues that’ll force you to redo a sidewalk or driveway from scratch.

When walking, it’s important to pay attention to the concrete in front of you if that’s what you’re working on. This will help you avoid bigger cracks and avoid injury.