Vaulted Sidewalk Repair in NYC

A vaulted sidewalk is a walk built over a cellar space that extends under the footway. Repairing one is structural work, not concrete work, because whatever is below has to stay dry and supported.

When your cellar runs out under the footway

• Existing vault structure removed with the building kept supported
• Steel support installed and set before any pour
• High-strength concrete placed to the required code thickness
• Waterproof membrane and drainage so the space below stays dry
• Inspections and documentation kept for the building record

The most expensive concrete in New York, and why

This is the most expensive sidewalk work in the city and there is no version of it that is cheap. You are paying for structural steel, waterproofing and engineering oversight, not for concrete. Span, the condition of the existing steel and how the space below is used are what set the price.

Support first, steel second, concrete last

1. Find out what is actually down there. Drawings are often wrong or missing on older buildings. The first job is establishing the span and the existing support.
2. Support before removal. The building above stays supported throughout. Nothing comes out until the temporary support is in.
3. Steel set, then concrete. New beams set to the design, then a high-strength pour on top of them.
4. Waterproofed and drained. A vault that leaks destroys the space below and eventually the steel holding it up. The membrane and the drainage are the part that lasts or does not.

What building owners ask about vault work

Work that goes with a vault rebuild

• Sidewalk Replacement Full flag removal · DOT thickness · Sub-base re-graded
• Roadway & Trench Restoration DOT restoration spec · Asphalt or concrete
• DOT Violation Removal 75-day clock · Dismissal inspection filed · Comes off the record
• Curbs & Edging Concrete curb · Reset or replace · Curb line to code