Concrete, How thick should a concrete walkway be

Questions and Answers

concrete questions

Jim F. asked

on concrete walkways:

How thick should concrete be for traffic?

We plan to make a four inch thick concrete sidewalk for wheel chair use. It needs to cross a gravel driveway in two places. How thick should it be where it will get occasional truck traffic over it? Should it have footers? I’d like an answer from someone with experience in these things.

concrete answer

Hello Jim,

Four inch thick concrete is fine for most walk ways and driveways. If the sidewalk is crossing a gravel drive it will be subjected to uneven forces not encountered in a fully paved drive. Be sure the base soil and gravel are tamped down and very firm. I would consider increasing the depth  to six inches where it crosses the gravel drive with an expansion joint on each side of the drive. With six inches of concrete a full footer is not critical but an apron of concrete around the perimeter will help stabilize it against lateral forces.

Good luck

Tony

Wood’s Home Maintenance Service offers solutions for a wide range of building, maintenance and repair needs.  Contact us today for a free estimate.

About Tony Wood

Tony is a life time resident of North Carolina with over 40 years experience in multiple facets of the industrial, commercial and residential construction industry. For the past 33 years he has owned and operated Wood's Home Maintenance Service, providing services primarily in Johnston, Wake and Sampson Counties of North Carolina. ______________ ______________________________________________________ The information contained in this Blog is opinion derived, from hands on experience of over 40 years in the construction industry and by extensive research by the author. All postulations are referenced to the geographic location in which this experience was gained.
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