All sidewalks shall be constructed of concrete and shall meet the following minimum specifications:
(a) Cement. The cement used in concrete shall be Portland cement of well known brand and shall be subject to test by the Director in accordance with Standard Methods of Sampling and Testing (Designation C 77-37) of the American Society for Testing Materials.
(b) Grading. Excavation of subgrade shall include removal of all earth, loam, shale, rock, roots, briars and undergrowth. All spongy material shall be removed. Fills are to be made with cinders or other material acceptable to the Director.
(c) Forms. Concrete shall be thoroughly mixed before being deposited in clean steel or wooden forms adequately braced to prevent distortion from the specified dimensions. All forms shall be of a size sufficient to produce a walk of a minimum thickness or depth of four inches, except at driveways where the thickness shall be six inches.
(d) Placing Concrete.
(1) The concrete shall be thoroughly tamped and consolidated so that none of the stone appears on the surface. The forms must be kept clean and shall be coated with a suitable oil before filling with concrete.
(2) Foundation beds shall be sprinkled immediately prior to depositing the concrete.
(3) Concrete when mixed shall be rapidly deposited in the forms and any concrete not in final position within thirty minutes after completion of the mixing shall be discarded. Under no circumstances shall concrete be used that has partially set and the remixing of such materials is prohibited. The concrete shall be deposited between bulkheads of a uniform thickness and to the full depth and width of the walk; irregular or sloping surfaces shall be avoided. The concrete, after being placed, shall be thoroughly compacted and brought to the proper pitch and grade with a templet or straight edge.
(4) Immediately prior to the finishing of the surface, the walk shall be cut into slabs not longer than six feet on any one side. The joints shall be formed by a cutting tool or other means satisfactory to the Engineer. The markings in the surface of the walk at these joints shall not be less than one-fourth the thickness of the slab deep. All edges shall be rounded with an approved edging tool to a radius of one-fourth of an inch.
(e) Surface Finish. The finishing of the walk shall immediately follow the placing and compacting of the concrete. Unless otherwise ordered by the Director, a finish produced by rubbing with wood floats will be required. The surface shall be free from depressions or inequalities. The application of dry cement to hasten drying of the surface is prohibited.
(f) Curing and Protecting. In rainy weather, the concrete shall be protected as soon as it is finished. In hot or dry weather, the contractor shall keep the concrete wet. Sprinkling shall be begun as soon as the concrete is set sufficiently to prevent pitting and shall be continued at such intervals as weather conditions may require or the Engineer may direct. All exposed surfaces shall be sealed with a curing membrane applied at a minimum rate of one gallon for each one hundred fifty square feet of surface treated. All concrete shall be protected from freezing.
(g) Expansion Joints. Prepared strips of bitumen and fiber or mineral aggregate shall be placed in concrete walks at intervals of at least twenty feet, also at ends where the walk abuts curbing or other lateral walks and along the building line where the walk is laid full width from the curb to the building or other structures. Similar joints shall be placed around water meter covers, gas boxes, hydrants, lamp standards or other fixed objects projecting through the walk. All strips shall be one-fourth of an inch in thickness, except for transverse joints when the temperature is below seventy degrees Fahrenheit, in which event the strips shall be one-half of an inch in thickness. The top of the strip shall be cut off flush with the top of the concrete.
(Ord. 5641-86. Passed 5-19-86.)