Who Owns Sidewalk Cracks?

Hotline Question

We built a facility the plans for which called for 18,000 square feet of 4-inch thick sidewalk built on a 4-inch thick crusher-run stone base over a red clay subgrade.

The sidewalk was 10 feet wide and specifications called for joints at a 10-foot spacing, tooled to a depth of ¾ to 1 inch. Specs also called for 10-gauge welded wire fabric at a 2-inch depth in the sidewalk.

We completed the job in the summer, went through the punch list with the owner is September and no sidewalk problems were mentioned. The owner called the following April however, and said he had a cracking problem. Of all the sidewalk panels placed, five had cracked. He wanted us to remove and replace those five panels. We think this is an unreasonable request because the cracks are hairline and not faulting. But how do we deal with it?

Hotline Answer

We too think this is an unreasonable request for several reasons. If you remove and replace the five panels, it's extremely unlikely that the concrete color will match that of the existing panels. In our view, the contrasting color is much more unsightly than a hairline crack.

With a good solid base, faulting isn't likely either, so the chances of tripping hazard developing are remote. However, you could volunteer to pay for any grinding required if faulting does occur.

If the owner still insists on your removing and replacing the panels, you may be able to fall back on some information in ACI 332R-1, "Guide to Residential Cast-in-Place Concrete Construction." Section 7.1.3.2 of this 1984 document says "Transverse joints should be only 10 to 12 feet apart in driveways and 4 to 5 feet apart in sidewalks. If there is need to exceed these spacings, see Section 6.1.4 for the use of welded wire fabric."

Section 6.1.4 says "When it is desirable to extend the distance recommended between joints in outdoor slabs (Section 7.1.3.2), welded wire fabric can be used to reduce sizes of cracks [emphasis mine] and minimize infiltration of water, deterioration of concrete, or other effects that could be costly to repair."

We realize that your sidewalks weren't for a residential project, but here's the main point: If you exceed a recommended joint spacing, adding the welded wire fabric doesn't prevent cracks, it simply reduces the crack width. Since the cracks are hairline, the mesh is dong what it's supposed to do, and this American Concrete Institute document seems to acknowledge that the presence of cracks doesn't call for sidewalk repair or replacement.

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