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This webinar was co-sponsored by ASCE's Transportation and Development Institute and ASCE Continuing Education

Instructor: David K. Hein, P.Eng

Course Length: 1 Hour

Purpose and Background

Municipal urban sidewalks and recreational trails provide a safe and durable surface for the public. The primary surface material for urban sidewalks has traditionally been concrete with recreational trails traditionally surfaced with hot mix asphalt. However, there is significant pressure in urban areas to provide “enhanced” treatments, including interlocking concrete, clay bricks, granite setts, stamped and colored concrete, and various recycled products. Municipalities are faced with challenges on how to evaluate, approve, and maintain various products. How can each be constructed and maintained in a cost-effective manner? How does on determine when to “fix” something? What is involved? What are the long-term costs to maintain this infrastructure? How does one build and maintain sidewalks and recreational trails to be compliant with codes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

This webinar begins with an overview of the basic functions of sidewalks and recreational trails. It discusses various types of sidewalk surfaces, including concrete, asphalt, rubber, recycled materials, natural stone, paving stones, and bricks. This webinar also discusses features and properties of each, including design, construction, expected life, initial and maintenance costs, and safety. It provides insight into current methods of maintenance and asset preservation such as the installation of expansion joints, surface texture improvement, slab jacking and stabilization, etc., along with proper construction and maintenance techniques.

The webinar is designed for all levels of municipal involvement in the management, delivery and maintenance of municipal sidewalks and recreational trails including asset management, capital construction, inspection and testing staff, operations and maintenance.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Use and benefits of sidewalks and trails
• Functional design
• Construction
• Dealing with tree roots
• Sidewalk pavement management
• Data collection methods
• Data analysis and presentation
• Maintenance of sidewalks and trails
• Asphalt
• Concrete
• Brick
• Paver
• Specialty surfaces
• Compliance with disability acts
• ASTM Standard for Pathway Roughness

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify key mechanisms of sidewalk and recreational trail performance and how to build them to last
• Identify design and construction features that may negatively impact the performance of the assets
• Recognize maintenance and rehabilitation needs and techniques
• Ensure compliance with national and local ordinances and requirements
• Minimize liability due to trip and slip hazards

Webinar Benefits

• Know what to concentrate on to ensure the maximum life of sidewalk and recreational trail assets
• Gain insight into methods to evaluate the effectiveness of preservation and maintenance treatments
• Learn asset condition inspection and monitoring procedures to effectively management the assets and limit liability

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

• Municipal engineering and technical staff involved in the construction and maintenance of sidewalks and recreational trails
• Consultants and contractors involved in the design and construction of sidewalks and recreational trails
• Asset management and operations staff
• Personnel involved in the physical summer and winter maintenance of sidewalks and recreational trails
• Inspection and testing personnel

Webinar Outline

• Overview of basic functions surrounding sidewalks and recreational trails
• Various types of surfacing
• Features and properties of each
• Maintenance methods
• Proper construction and maintenance techniques

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]