Sidewalks & Curbs in Harrisburg, PA

Sidewalks and curbs in Harrisburg are the homeowner's job. The City Engineer's page quotes Ordinance 9-107, which says owners of property along a public street must construct, pave and curb the sidewalk and keep it in good repair. In a city where more than 43 percent of homes were built before 1940, according to Point2Homes' Census summary, many of those sidewalks are old, and a lot of them have been lifted by street trees, broken by frost or patched more than once.

The permit, step by step

Replacing a public sidewalk or curb in the city is not something to start on a Saturday without paperwork. Chapter 9-103 of the city code sets out the rules:

• A permit from the City Engineer is required before any public sidewalk or street is cut.
• Sidewalk and curb cuts are applied for in the owner's name or by a contractor acting for the owner.
• The application lists the location, the owner, the size and purpose of the work, and when it will be finished.
• For sidewalk and curb-only work the code sets a $25 application fee, plus inspection fees of $60 for up to three square yards and $30 for each additional square yard.
• The code requires a bond, or for sidewalk and curb-only work, security per square yard.
• If the work closes a lane or the walk, a traffic control plan following PennDOT Publication 213 is needed.
• The sidewalk has to be restored within six months of the permit.

The code also allows the city to finish poorly done or unfinished work and charge the owner the cost plus 50 percent. We handle the application, the traffic plan when one is needed and the inspection, and we put the fees on the quote.

Common problems

• Panels lifted by tree roots, creating a trip edge
• Panels broken into several pieces by frost and traffic
• Surfaces flaking from salt and freeze-thaw
• Curbs crumbling at the gutter or broken at the corner
• Low spots where water sits and freezes
• Old patches that never matched the grade

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Trees and sidewalks

Street trees are one of the best things about older Harrisburg blocks and one of the main reasons sidewalks heave. Before we replace a lifted section, we look at the roots and talk through the options, because a new panel poured over the same roots will lift again. In some cases the walk can be shaped or the base adjusted; in others the tree issue has to be resolved first, and that may involve the city.

How we rebuild a walk

We saw-cut along joints, remove the broken panels, dig out soft soil and compact a stone base. HomeGuide's sidewalk guide notes most walkways are 4 to 6 inches thick, with heavier traffic calling for more. Sections that cross a driveway need to match the driveway's thickness. We form the walk with a slight cross-slope so water runs to the street or lawn, pour air-entrained concrete, broom it and tool the joints to match the panels next to it. Curbs are formed and poured to line up with the existing gutter so water keeps moving down the street.

Private walks too

The walk from the sidewalk to your door, side paths to the back yard and walks out to the alley are fully private, and we quote them the same way: proper base, consistent slope and joints, and no lip where the new concrete meets the old.

Winter care

Shovel before snow packs down. Use sand on new concrete the first winter, and avoid ammonium-based de-icers after that. Seal the walk every few years and fill small cracks early, before ice opens them up.