We expect public spaces to be safe, never considering a sidewalk, driveway, parking garage, playground, or dining patio a trip hazard or to pose other dangers. Public places have concrete walkways, parking, and public access, and they aren’t always in the best shape. Concrete will inevitably crack, spawl, and become unlevel as the soil underneath the concrete settles, leading to cracked and unlevel sidewalks, patios, walkways, etc.
With public access to commercial buildings, places of business, public service, and municipal projects like playgrounds and parks, the concrete needs to be safe. Keep reading to learn what causes unsafe concrete in public spaces, the dangers it poses, and how polyjacking contributes to safer public spaces.
How does Concrete Crack?
Though concrete is one of the strongest materials, it is prone to cracking and becoming unlevel. However, it’s not the material that becomes weak and breaks down; several factors can cause cracked and unlevel concrete. So, why does concrete crack? For one, there could be an issue with how the concrete was mixed or poured. For example, the concrete company or individual mixing the concrete could have used the wrong strength to support a certain structure or weight. There could also have been issues with it being poured on frozen ground or ground that wasn’t compacted.
Concrete also cracks from drying too fast or using the wrong control joints. They could have been placed incorrectly before it was poured, and there might not have been enough placed in the concrete. Though these issues are manmade, natural causes also affect concrete, including the effects of summer on concrete and cold winter weather.
The number one reason concrete cracks and becomes unlevel is the soil underneath settling, causing a shift. Rain, snowmelt, and strong winds can also affect the soil, leading to soil erosion and more shifting soil.
Dangers of Cracked/Unlevel Concrete in Public Spaces
Public places frequent families with a range of ages from infants to young children, elderly, members of the family with disabilities, handicaps, and neurological disorders that make walking difficult. Whether visiting downtown local shops and the theater, walking around the parks, having the kids play at the playground, or enjoying a summer dinner on a patio, the public frequents public spaces and sidewalks, parking, and walkways. These places must be safe, but what are the dangers of cracked/unlevel concrete in public places? Below are just a few of the many risks of cracked concrete in public spaces:
Increases Injury
Cracked and unlevel concrete means one of the sides of the crack is higher/lower than the other, making walking difficult. Imagine unloading the family in a parking deck where the concrete is unlevel, or walking the streets of downtown with unlevel concrete, making it easy for a foot to get stuck in the unlevel ground, causing trips and falls. Unlevel and cracked concrete in public spaces increases the risk of injury, affecting the entire family, especially young children, the elderly, or those with a disorder or disability.
Unsafe Playgrounds
Kids run on playgrounds – that’s what they were designed for, anyway. They’re often running without a care in the world, switching from one playscape to the other or enjoying a game of tag with friends. Whatever they’re playing, they aren’t paying attention to the concrete ground, and why would they? It should be safe and free of unlevel/cracked concrete. Unfortunately, cracks and unlevel concrete make for unsafe playgrounds, putting our kids at risk of serious injury.
Legal Ramifications
If you manage a municipal project, own a public building, or rent a commercial building, you’ll want to be mindful of the possible legal ramifications of having unlevel or cracked concrete. If someone trips and falls and has an accident because of the unlevel concrete on your property, you could be liable and face expensive legal ramifications.
How Polyjacking Contributes to Safe Public Spaces
If you need to lift or fill concrete in a public space, polyjacking is the most permanent solution. Polyjacking uses polyurethane foam to lift a sunken and unlevel concrete structure, hardening within minutes to provide a safe, stable structure. We can do concrete repairs on any public space, including parking garages, commercial building foundations, municipal projects like playgrounds and parks, schools, and private businesses. (Reference this recent case study to learn about a playground sidewalk we repaired in 2022.)
Polyjacking is the only concrete repair method that fortifies the soil under the concrete, meaning it will never shift again and cause the concrete to become unlevel after polyjacking. Unfortunately, other concrete repair methods like mudjacking or DIY concrete repair jobs don’t fortify the soil, resulting in unlevel concrete within a few years.
When you choose polyjacking for public spaces, they’re kept safe from injury risks from unlevel or cracked concrete. The soil will be fortified, never again sinking from shifting soil, soil erosion, cold winters, hot summers, or other factors that can cause concrete to crack.
Trust Pro Polyjacking to Repair Unlevel & Cracked Concrete for Your Public Space
Consider polyjacking from Pro Polyjacking for your commercial or municipal project. Our polyjacking process stabilizes the soil and, as a result, lifts concrete to fix cracks and level the patio, driveway, sidewalk, or foundation. Your concrete will be permanently repaired, never again cracking from settling soil and never needing repeating.
Our process is simple, starting with a free assessment and complimentary quote for our concrete leveling service. We’ll discuss your concerns and issues and a solution and quote for our polyjacking service. Once you accept and we get you on the schedule, we’ll arrive timely and professionally. We’ll create the injection site by drilling tiny holes into the concrete and injecting our polyurethane foam under the damaged concrete. The result is lifted concrete without any gaps and stabilized soil underneath. We also patch up our injection sights so they’re even less noticeable.
Foundation cracks, uneven driveways, spalling sidewalks, and other damages are unsightly, especially on a commercial building. Trust the professionals at Pro Polyjacking in Kansas City for your concrete repair. Contact the team at Pro Polyjacking for more information about our concrete repair service!