Progress Passes By

And we have a sidewalk.

On Friday, the workers came by and poured a slab about half the distance along our property. Unlike the old days where they would pour each small (maybe four foot long) section individually, they made one big long pour. Maybe they still do it the old way up north where there is danger of expansion and contraction while the concrete is curing but down here that doesn't seem to be an issue. Yesterday morning they came back and poured the rest in an equally long section.

While they were laying down the second pour, a guy with a stone cutter saw worked on the first, now mostly dry, section and carved little fake section lines crosswise at regular intervals so it looks like a traditional sidewalk. When they were done pouring, one guy came back with a squeegee broom and carefully brushed the concrete level texturing it (also crosswise) while two other went down to the end at the intersection between the sidewalk road and our little street and laid down a bright yellow, knobbly textured plastic mat to mark the end of the walk for the vision-impaired and tamped it down to road level eliminate and curb effect. They stood on it for a moment and then placed custom designed weights on it and left them while the concrete set.

Today, they were back one last time. The stonecutter sliced his lines into the second pour, which was already dry enough to walk on, They pulled the metal guide rails out of the entire strip and a guy with a leaf blower went up and down the bike lane blowing all the dust and debris back off the road. Now they're all across our street, working away along Neighbor Dan's place. They're almost to the end of the road and might have the west-side sidewalk completely in before St. Patrick's Day.

Then we get to watch the rest of the summer while they move back north working on the east side of the road.