TripleBlack14

The apron to my driveway just completely detiorated from the severe ice and constant below 0 temps in just a few short months. The ashpalt crumbled, and the sidewalk pads lifted and cracked. It was just fine before the freeze.

The bottom of my Fusion bumper is getting scraped, but I finally figured out an angle of entry where the bumper doesn't come in contact with the entrance.

The Fusion is 9" to the ground, the Mustang 8".....gonna have a problem. The only thing I can hope for is that since there's less supension travel in the Mustang, I might be able to squeak by. I haven't tried it yet but I have to know. It just might kill my stock splitter though.

Regardless, this is a mod for my Mustang that I don't want to do. Gonna have to bite the bullet and get some estimates this week.

GottaHaveIt

Isn't that on city property past the side walk ?

Jim74656

depends on the ity zoning laws, most cities require the owner of the property to maintain the sidewalk area, now some cities (OP will have to fill us in) may have provisions where in some cases they will be responsible for the area from the street to the drive/sidewalk (apron), but again the OP should check with local city officials on this stuff

TripleBlack14

Yes. In my town, the owner is responsible for the upkeep of the sidewalk. If all that had to be done was a repaving/regrading of the apron so that the transition to the street was less severe, it might not be too bad. But also replacing two concrete sidewalk pads is where it might run into some money. I hope to have some estimates this week.

My driveway took a hit this winter too, but it's still usable. I'll let that ride.

Getting into the driveway is an ordeal. It has to be done precisely. I don't have much wiggle room to avoid the scaping. But it means entering to the extreme left. I'm going to try going very slowly and carefully backing out the Mustang and pulling back in. I've pretty much resigned myself to possibly having to replace the splitter. I'm more concerned about my tailpipes.

NC14GT

That's pretty severe. My entire driveway needs to be replaced too. Fortunately it is just crumbling and cracked with no obstacles to hurt the car. Estimates were horribly high and I have put it off year after year.

Jim74656

i would check with your city there may be some sort of sidewalk leveling company that might be able to level out the existing pads if they haven't gotten too damaged.

it looks like they arn't too damaged and what your dealing with is more settling and unsettling of the pads really.

Jim74656

oh also one idea I have, not sure if your area would care much for this, but it would be a temp solution, is to build a small ramp out of 1x4s and make a small step ramp that goes the length (side to side) of the drive, would help get your cars in and out by giving them a smaller incline to work with...hope it makes sense to you...

TripleBlack14

Great minds think alike.

I found 3 large shelves made of thick MDF and tried the ramp thing. No problem rolling back out the driveway and down ramps over the apron. Getting back up was a problem. Because of all the torque in 1st and 2nd gears the back tires just kicked out the ramps.

I'm sure there's a way I can do it, but it's supposed to rain a few days this week, so the Mustang just went back in the garage, and the Fusion will stay on the street. It's more trouble than it's worth to constantly reposition the ramps. It was worth a shot though.

I hope to have an estimate by Friday, and since it's a relatively small job maybe they can do it right away. Still, I'm planing on 2 more weeks without driving my Mustang.

Jim74656

well if you got so much torque you should be able to start it in third (unless yours is an auto) I can start mine in 2nd or 3rd if I hold the clutch right....but I agree great minds do think alike hehe

TripleBlack14

I very much appreciate all the advice. As much as I'm chomping at the bit to drive it after the harshest, coldest winter I can ever remember, it's just not worth the effort while risking more damage and certain frustration. I'm not one to give up easily, but something told me to let it ride for now.

If I can start enjoying it again by the beginning of April I'll be happy. In the meantime I'll be giving it a top to bottom Spring detailing in the driveway while I'm awaiting repairs.

TripleBlack14

Severe is an understatement. The snow began in January followed by unrelenting sub-zero temps until we started to thaw about 2 weeks ago. The damage you see occured in just 2 months!!!! There was a little deterioration of the apron before, but nothing worth worrying about. The crack and lifting pads are fresh.

Of course constant snow plows from the town as they passed by driveways in my neighborhood probably contributed.

But NJ dodged a bullet compared with the folks in New England. I can only imagine what they're facing as the thaw occurs.

scottmoyer

I just looked up he Rockaway rules on sidewalk ownership and maintenance and it does say that the homeowner is responsible, but maybe you can get by with this.

Q. During a snow storm the snow plow damaged my curb. Will the Township repair it?

A. Yes, a DPW representative will come out to assess the damage and it will be placed on our schedule for repair. Please visit our Service Request to report damage or call 973-983-2891.

I did some additional digging and it says the new laws are that you need to use concrete for an apron if you have to replace an existing apron. That might actually be a benefit as a concrete truck needs to come anyway for the sidewalks, so they may charge less per yard if you use more concrete. That could end up being cheaper than doing both concrete and asphalt like you have now.

16-7.2 Driveway Aprons.

For all driveways that service a residential dwelling, where sidewalks
exist or are to be constructed, the driveway apron shall be constructed of
concrete in accordance with Section 54-29, Design Guidelines, Standards and
Construction Specifications.
Existing driveway aprons only have to be replaced with concrete at such
time as the adjacent sidewalk is being removed and replaced whether at the
option of the property owner, pursuant to Section 16-6, Maintenance and
Upkeep of Sidewalks, or other Township ordinance.
(Ord. #05-4 § 1)

I was kind of hoping that the rules say you are responsible for maintenance like snow removal, cleaning, etc, but that the city was responsible for repairs. Unfortunately, NJ taxes the crap out of you and then they don't even take care of these things.

Jim74656

well in this case the snow and ice did cause damage to the area so he might be able to get help from the city! I would at least attempt to pursue it from that angle also!