You may have noticed a few of the newer sidewalks in Warm Springs have been pushing up on hot days.
Warm Springs Construction’s Mark Mann says that this is being seen across Central Oregon. He says “the cause is expansion of the concrete when the weather heats up. I am not sure why it is so prevalent these days as we did not see this 15 years ago and before. One theory is the use and type of reinforcing fibers that are currently used in most sidewalks.” Mann explains that when long expanses of concrete heat up in the hot summer days, the concrete expands and it has to find relief somewhere. “Once it heaves like this, it can’t just fall back into place once it cools down. Expansion joint material is typically installed at least every 200 feet, but it appears these days that is not enough. We install expansion joints at closer intervals on the work Warm Springs Construction is doing now.”
The slightly upended sidewalks seem most affected when adjacent to the dip of a driveway approach.
