Sidewalks & Steps in St. Louis, MO

Sidewalks and steps are where old concrete turns into a tripping hazard. In St. Louis, where Point2Homes' Census summary shows 58.4 percent of homes built in 1939 or earlier, plenty of front walks have been heaved by street-tree roots, stoops have settled away from the brick, and steps have lost their edges to decades of freezing and salt. We rebuild private walks, gangway paths, stoops and poured steps, and we help you sort out the public sidewalk out front.

The public sidewalk and the 50-50 program

In the City of St. Louis, property owners are responsible for keeping their sidewalks in good repair. The Street Department's 50-50 Sidewalk Program lets eligible owners split the repair cost with the city. A few details from the city's program page:

• Properties zoned A through G qualify, and real estate taxes must be paid in full.
• If a City tree between the street and the sidewalk damaged the walk, the city pays 100 percent for the affected slabs.
• You request an inspection through the Citizens' Service Bureau, (314) 622-4800, and eligible addresses go on a waiting list.
• The wait depends on funds in your ward, since aldermen fund the program from Ward Capital.
• Before work starts, the Street Department sends a letter with your share, which you sign and return.

Doing it now instead

If you do not want to wait, the sidewalk can be rebuilt at your own expense with a Street Department sidewalk permit, listed at $25 for residential property. That work is not reimbursed later by the 50-50 program. The permit page asks for applications at least a week ahead and restricts blocking the walk to weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with barricades in place. Our quote lays out both choices.

Signs a walk or step needs work

• One panel sitting higher than the next
• Panels tilting toward the house
• A stoop pulling away from the foundation
• Step edges that are chipped or crumbling
• Risers of different heights
• A rough, flaking surface that holds ice

Rebuilding a walk

Old panels are broken out, soft soil removed and a stone base compacted. HomeGuide's sidewalk guide notes most walks are 4 to 6 inches thick, thicker where traffic is heavier. We pitch the walk slightly to one side so water runs into the lawn, pour air-entrained concrete, broom it and tool joints at even spacing. Gangway walks between houses get special attention because they often channel roof water along the foundation. If roots caused the heaving, we talk through options first, because a new walk over the same roots will lift again.

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Stoops and poured steps

We form steps in place to match the door threshold and landing. Every riser should be the same height and every tread the same depth, or people miss a step. The top landing needs room to stand while a storm door swings open. Because the ground freezes, support matters: a heavy stoop on loose fill will tilt and drop. We look at what is under the old steps before designing new ones, and we can compare poured steps with precast where that is an option.

Handrails

Steps with more than two risers are safer with a rail, especially in sleet. When we pour new steps we can set anchors in the fresh concrete so a rail bolts down solidly.

Winter care

Shovel before snow packs down. Use sand the first winter and stay away from ammonium-based de-icers after that. Seal walks and steps every few years and fill small cracks before ice opens them up.