By Chelsea Laskowski

POLL/VIDEO: Cracking in fresh sidewalk raises questions

Aug 9, 2013 | 6:22 AM

People usually expect a few cracks when stepping on a few decades-old sidewalk, but it’s surprising to see it on a sidewalk that’s just been re-done.

Coun. Lee Atkinson was walking near downtown Prince Albert recently and noticed cracks along the freshly poured sidewalk at 10th Street East. All the cracks were in line with the water shut-offs beneath the sidewalk.

He figured that shouldn't be happening with fresh construction.

“You kind of wonder why that’s the case on new work and whether there’s something different we could be doing differently so that wouldn’t happen. So that’s just a small observation,” Atkinson explained.

He was more interested in seeing if this issue could be remedied than concerned about the money spent if crews need to go back to fix the flaws.

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“I think it’s a matter of, perhaps, how we’re doing it. Whether some of these defects could be avoided or whether it can’t be avoided, I’m not sure…. It would be nice to know because you wouldn’t expect work you’ve just done to be cracked and damaged. As winter sets in and ice gets into those cracks and they get worse,” he said.

That’s why he put in a request for the city to look into the issue at city council on Monday.

Colin Innes, director of the department of public works, didn’t have a chance to look at the sidewalk but explained that the sidewalk could have cracks because of how the concrete was poured.

“Depending on what the defect is we can identify whether it is something that is more of a cosmetic thing, because of maybe the rate at which it dried rather than something that would be more of a structural concern where you’ve got cracking which is something that would indicate some sort of a failure. So it’s something I would have to assess,” said Innes.

Atkinson’s observation has led to some larger questions.

“What degree of inspection do we do on the work and is this acceptable or not acceptable?” he said.

Innes assures that the city does check all construction work.

“Within the contracts we have a series of specifications that the contractors have to meet. The project is then evaluated to make sure they meet the specifications.”

He notes that, once poured, a sidewalk can last up to 100 years, although they do acquire a few bumps and cracks along the way.

Also, it is a rarity for new construction to have issues.

“We haven’t had a bunch of those kind of issues brought to my attention. So I think generally I would have to say this would be something that would be a bit of an oddity,” said Innes.

The biggest issue that comes up after construction work is along roadways. Small air pockets can allow water to seep in between manhole covers and roads, which then creates bumps along the road.

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk