Sidewalks & walkways
Sidewalk Leveling in Central & Western Iowa
One sunken square in a sidewalk is a trip hazard, a shovel-catcher, and in many Iowa cities the homeowner's responsibility. We lift it flush with its neighbors in under an hour per section.
Sidewalk leveling by mudjacking raises a settled sidewalk or walkway section back flush with the sections beside it, using a water-and-sand mixture pumped beneath the slab through one or two small holes. The trip edge disappears, the joint closes, and the section is walkable immediately.
Sidewalk squares sink for the same reasons driveways do — settled fill, water washing out from under an edge, tree roots lifting one square and dropping its neighbor, frost heave. Cities across central Iowa notify property owners about raised or sunken sidewalk edges because they are a liability; lifting the low square is the least expensive way to clear that notice, and it keeps the original concrete.
Signs a sidewalk needs lifting
A lip between two squares that catches a toe or a shovel. A square that holds a puddle after rain. A walkway to the front door that has tilted toward the house. A section that rocks underfoot. Cracks at the joints with soil showing in them. A whole square that has dropped can be lifted; a square crumbled into pieces should be replaced, and we will say which at the estimate.
How we lift a sidewalk
Each low square gets one or two small holes. We pump the water-and-sand mixture underneath until the square is flush with its neighbors at every edge, fill the void completely so it stays supported, and patch the holes. Nothing is excavated and no landscaping beside the walk is disturbed. The mixture is inert — safe next to lawns and beds.
A few squares take about an hour. A full front walk is usually done in a morning, and it is walkable the moment we finish.
A walk and driveway we lifted
The split joint at the top of a drive, raised back level.
before
after
Sidewalk leveling in Iowa: the shovel-catching lip at the joint is gone.
Where we work
We travel. CC Mudjacking is based in Des Moines and has lifted concrete everywhere from the metro to the Iowa Great Lakes — Ames, Boone, Fort Dodge, Carroll, Storm Lake, Spencer and Okoboji, and the towns between. Wherever you are in central or northwest Iowa, the on-site estimate is free; tell us where the job is and the estimate says exactly what is included.
Sidewalk questions
The city sent me a notice about my sidewalk. Can lifting clear it?
Usually, yes. Most notices are about a raised or sunken edge above a set height. Lifting the low square removes the edge without replacing the sidewalk. Send us the notice with your estimate request and we will tell you what it needs.
Can you lift just one square?
Yes. Sidewalk squares are lifted individually, and one square is a common job. We charge by the job, not by the square, so ask about doing the whole walk while we are there.
What about a square a tree root has pushed up?
A raised square cannot be lowered by mudjacking. Often the fix is to lift the squares on either side to meet it and remove the edge. We will look at the root and say which approach works.
How long before I can walk on it?
Immediately. The mixture bears foot traffic as soon as the slab is set down on it.
Do you really come out to my town?
Yes. Our jobs have run from Des Moines to Okoboji, and the rig travels with us. There is no minimum distance and no town too small. Tell us where you are when you ask for the estimate and we will schedule the trip.