All sidewalks within the city hereafter shall be repaired, rebuilt and constructed in accordance with the following specifications:
A. Subgrade: The subgrade shall be prepared by excavating to the line, grade and cross section as established by the director of public works. Soft and unsuitable material shall be removed and replaced with sand or other satisfactory material, and the subgrade shall be thoroughly and uniformly compacted and moistened immediately before the concrete is placed. When so specified by the director of public works, a subbase of sand and gravel or other approved material shall be placed under the sidewalks. On embankments the subgrade shall extend at least one foot (1') beyond each edge of the sidewalk.
B. Materials:
1. All sidewalks shall be of air entrained concrete composed of six (6) 100-pound bags of cement per cubic yard of one course construction. Gravel shall be of good quality and washed. Concrete shall be mixed thoroughly for a minimum of one and one-half (11/2) minutes after all materials have been placed in the mixer.
2. Ready mix concrete shall meet the requirements of the Wisconsin department of transportation, and all concrete delivered by truck shall be at least the above consistency of six (6) 100-pound bags of cement per cubic yard, and certified by the ready mix company, unless specified otherwise by the director of public works.
C. Forms: Concrete shall be placed in straight forms of wood, metal or composite material of sufficient strength to resist springing, tipping or other displacement during the process of depositing and consolidating the concrete. Wood forms shall be of such design as to permit secure fastening. Forms shall be thoroughly cleaned and oiled before the concrete is placed against them. Concrete shall be placed in the forms on a moist subgrade deposited just above the finished grade and consolidated and spaded sufficiently to bring the mortar to the surface and to prevent honeycombing. It shall then be struck off level with the top of the forms and finished with wooden floats. To provide adequate drainage, the sidewalk shall slope toward the curb at a minimum rate of one-fourth inch (1/4") per foot of width of sidewalk. All joints and edges shall be finished with a one-fourth inch (1/4") radius edging tool.
D. Width And Thickness: Residential walks shall be five feet (5') minimum in width and not less than four inches (4") thick except within driveway approaches where the minimum thickness shall be six inches (6"); provided, that walks in residential areas may be repaired or constructed to a width to conform with the existing width of sidewalks in the block where the new sidewalk is being constructed. Sidewalks in front of commercial or industrial establishments shall not be less than eight feet (8') in width or the width of the existing boulevard, whichever is the lesser, and five inches (5") in thickness except within driveway approaches where the minimum thickness shall be seven inches (7"). Sidewalks over five feet (5') in width and all driveways shall use six by six (6 x 6) no. 10 mesh for reinforcement. (1975 Code Ch. 6 § IV; amd. 2009 Code)
E. Finishing: Before the last finish has set, the sidewalk shall be brushed or broomed in transverse direction. Before final finishing the surface shall be checked with a ten foot (10') straightedge and any areas departing more than one-eighth inch (1/8") from the testing edge shall be corrected by adding or removing concrete while the concrete in the walk is still plastic.
F. Jointing: Transverse, full depth, one-half inch (1/2") thick expansion joints or premolded expansion material shall be located every fifty feet (50') and at the property line, and where the walk intersects another walk, curb line, building or driveway approach, and at buildings, walls, poles and stop boxes. The expansion joint material shall be placed in a neat and workmanlike manner with its upper edge slightly below the finished sidewalk surface. Dummy groove joints for controlled cracking, at least one-half inch (1/2") in depth and one-fourth inch (1/4") wide shall be placed at intervals approximately the same as the width of sidewalk. All joints shall be at right angles to the direction and grade of the walk. Diagonal joints may be used only when approved by the city engineer.
G. Curing And Drying: As soon as any of the concrete work hereinbefore mentioned has been finished and hardened sufficiently to prevent excessive marring of the surface, it shall be cured and protected against rapid drying. Failure to comply with this requirement shall be deemed sufficient cause for suspension of work. Curing shall be accomplished by the "impervious coating", "wet fabric" or "paper" methods. For impervious coating or membrane curing, only those materials meeting requirements of ASTM specs. C156-44T, "Method Of Test For Efficiency Of Materials For Curing Concrete" shall be used. Said specifications are hereby adopted by reference as if fully set forth herein. Walks shall be kept free from all traffic at normal temperatures for forty eight (48) hours, and in cold weather (below 50 degrees Fahrenheit) for ninety six (96) hours. No concrete shall be poured when the temperatures may be expected to fall below thirty five degrees Fahrenheit (35°F) in any seventy two (72) hour period or upon frozen subgrade.
H. Brick Sidewalks: The use of bricks for sidewalks shall be allowed only with the approval of the common council. If approved, the bricks shall be placed and maintained to the same requirements for line and grade of concrete walks, including requirements for subgrade and use of expansion materials. The finished surface of the brick walk shall vary no more than three- eighths inch (3/8") when tested with a ten foot (10') straightedge. The surface shall be maintained to said tolerance and free from vegetative materials. Lack of said maintenance shall void the common council approval and require replacement with concrete after due notice. (1975 Code Ch. 6 § IV)