Sidewalks & Walkways

A front walk should be 4 feet wide so two people can pass and a stroller or a walker fits without a wheel dropping off the edge. A side-yard path can go to 3 feet, which is the narrowest we pour and the minimum clear width for an accessible route.

Straight runs form up fast with standard lumber; curves take flexible forms and more layout time but follow the landscaping. Either way we hold the walk about an inch above the finished lawn so the mower clears it, and where it meets the porch, the foundation or a driveway we set an isolation joint, because the house and the walk move at different rates in North Texas clay.

Four inches is the right thickness for foot traffic and what most public sidewalk across DFW is built to. We strip the topsoil and roots, compact the subgrade, and set 2 inches of compacted base before any forms go in. A walk poured straight on soft dirt rides Arlington's clay one panel at a time.

Steel holds the panels together when the ground does move: welded wire mesh or #3 rebar on chairs so it sits in the middle of the slab, adding $0.60 to $1.10 per square foot. Where a vehicle crosses the walk, at the driveway apron or a gate, we thicken the slab to match the driveway. A 4-inch walk is for feet; a tire needs more.

Water has to leave a walk or it stays, and in winter that is ice at the front door. We cross-slope a quarter inch per foot away from the house, about 2 percent, which is also the most cross slope the ADA allows on an accessible route. Along the direction of travel we keep the grade at or under 5 percent — steep enough to drain, flat enough to push a stroller up without thinking about it.

On a lot where the front door sits well above the street, we would rather run the walk on a gentle diagonal than pour steps. If steps are unavoidable we cast them with 7-inch risers, 11-inch treads and a broom-finished nose, and we talk about a rail before we pour: CJM Metals welds the steel handrail on it, one family covering both trades.

Broom finish is the default on a walkway for one reason: grip. We float the surface, then drag the broom perpendicular to the direction of travel so the ridges work against a slipping shoe in rain. Stamped and exposed aggregate are options if the walk should match a patio, at a higher band and with a sealer that has to keep up.

Concrete cracks; joints decide where. On a 4-foot walk we cut control joints every 4 to 5 feet so each panel is about as long as it is wide — cut every 10 feet instead and each panel cracks down the middle. More in why concrete cracks. Walk on it after 24 hours, keep furniture and anything with a point off it for 3 days, and keep it damp or under curing compound the first week. Full strength, and the soonest a sealer should go on, is 28 days.

The sidewalk between the curb and your yard is public right-of-way. Arlington requires a right-of-way permit through Planning and Development Services at the One Start Development Center, 101 W. Abram St, 817-459-6502, the contractor who pulls it has to be registered with the City first, and the City's manual calls for a full-depth saw cut back to an existing joint and replacement to its Cut and Restore Pavement Detail.

Who pays depends on the section. Arlington Public Works runs a panel and sidewalk replacement program, and a damaged section can be reported through the Ask Arlington app or at 817-459-6550, so before anyone breaks out a city sidewalk in front of your house, confirm whether yours is already on a list — that call can save you the whole job. When we do the work we pull the permit, saw cut to the joint, match the neighbors' grade and pour to the City detail. A single tripping edge is often concrete repair instead. See do I need a permit for concrete in Arlington for the rest of your lot.