Sidewalks & Steps in Manhattan, KS

Sidewalks & Steps carry foot traffic every day, and one raised square or a front step that rocks is all it takes for someone to fall. In Manhattan, KS that matters to owners and to landlords near campus, where new tenants use the same walks every year.

Who maintains the public sidewalk (2016 report)

Kansas statute K.S.A. 12-1808 puts sidewalk repair on the owner of the adjacent property, even though the walk itself is public. A Manhattan Mercury article from June 2016 described how the City of Manhattan handled it at that time: code services sent repair notices for settled, broken or offset squares, prompted by complaints or by staff noticing problems; the owner contacted code services to agree on a completion window and called again for an inspection when the work was done; and the city paid only when city utilities or city-owned trees between curb and walk caused the damage. That description is from 2016 and may have changed, so confirm the current process with the city. We check it again before each job.

Why walks and steps break down here

Census survey estimates put about 7 percent of Manhattan homes at 1939 or earlier and about a third between 1950 and 1979. On those older blocks, years of freezing and thawing, mature tree roots and moving clay have pushed some squares up and dropped others. Front steps often sink away from the house because the soil against the foundation was loosely backfilled during construction. Water gets into that gap, freezes and tips the steps further.

Signs it's time

• An edge high enough to catch a shoe.
• A square cracked into several pieces.
• Steps separating from the house or porch.
• Treads that slope or hold puddles.
• Flaking on steps that get salted.

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Replacing sidewalk squares

Damaged squares are saw-cut at the joints, broken out and hauled off. If a tree root did the lifting, we talk it over with you, and with the city when it's a street tree. The base is regraded and compacted, and the new squares match the width, thickness and slope of the walk on each side, with a broom texture and tooled joints. They cure before anyone walks on them.

Building new steps

Poured steps are formed with uniform risers and treads, since uneven steps are what trip people. Where it suits the house we pin them to the foundation or landing, add steel, pour air-entrained concrete and broom the treads for winter footing. The top landing should be deep enough to stand on while the door swings open. A railing can be added once the concrete has cured.

Call (785) 509-7585 about sidewalks and steps in Manhattan or a nearby town. If you have a city notice, tell us the deadline.