Concrete provider blamed for last summer’s sidewalk projects that are already deteriorating
By Jon Blau, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
For the residents of
The scaling isn't contained to one neighborhood, either. Nor is it limited to public projects. Layers of concrete are peeling off the sidewalks and handicap ramps at a private development on the corner of
As concrete scales, it grates on the people involved. The residents along the path of
"It's a mess," Clark said, swiping his work boots over a lake of concrete pellets off a driveway on
That's a conclusion many people have reached, including officials with the city of
Getting money back could be tricky, however. City attorney
Clark refused to pay the company for its batches of concrete and found himself in court in
People are not supposed to put salt on a sidewalk that is less than a year old, but they do, and this past winter was especially harsh. Masons all too often finish newly poured concrete by spraying water on it, even though it can dilute the surface, which often isn't sealed.
"If the concrete was bad, the whole batch would be bad, and the entire sidewalk would be falling apart," said Newlin, who served on the
He makes one simple observation.
"I tell all of them, if you think the concrete is bad, take Central Indiana Ready Mix to court," Newlin said. "You'll spend a lot of money, and you'll probably lose."
Still in business
Last week, city officials believed Central Indiana Ready Mix was out of business, because the number listed on the company's website diverted calls to Sagamore Concrete in
What he finds himself left with are brand new buildings but handicap-accessible ramps that are chipping beyond their years.
"For us, it's an embarrassment," Lauchli said. "We put a tremendous amount of work into creating a beautiful development, not just for ourselves, but for the entire community, because that corner had been such an eyesore. We are going to fix this, one way or another."
But Central Indiana Ready Mix is, in fact, in business. This week, The Herald-Times was able to reach one of the company's representatives,
First, he will have to drive from site to site, inspecting the concrete for damage with other city employees.
It will take at least a full day to do it.
Since 2010, the city spent
"What's unfortunate in this case is the defect wasn't readily apparent," Rouker said. "It took the passage of time for us to see there was a problem."
Some Central Indiana Ready Mix concrete has passed the test of time. The sidewalks along
On the other hand, Newlin said, he has seen a lot of sidewalk poured with concrete from other companies, such as IMI and Prairie, scaling all over
"There is no question, there is a problem," he said. "Whether people want to accept the truth or not, that's another story."
Newlin would argue that the city has a more widespread problem with the de-icing product it uses during the winter, Cargill's ClearLane. The chemicals in it, including magnesium chloride, can be corrosive to concrete, Newlin said. Salt sticks to car tires and ends up on driveways, and the concrete pops off along the tire tracks.
"If it was the salt, why would it be happening there?" he asked.
Salt has been proven to have negative effects on concrete, according to
The reason salt leads to scaling on concrete isn't exactly known, Weiss said, but theories point to the fact that salt lowers the freezing temperature to prevent ice from forming and increases the level of saturation in the concrete. When the water seeping into the concrete's pores inevitably freezes, it will expand. That creates pressure -- and can crack concrete. There are multiple aspects of the concrete mixing process that can produce batches more or less susceptible to scaling, Weiss said, and sealant can reduce the risk, but it's hard for him to pass judgment on what's causing the
With her crews on the ground, Public Works Director
"Whether our guys did the work, or a private company did it, when we are seeing these problems," she said, "it's always Central Indiana Ready Mix."
Newlin holds his ground.
"They just want someone to blame, because they didn't finish it right," he said. "That was a good mix we sent them."
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