Street Creep Repair

What is Street Creep?

Street creep is a common foundation problem caused by the thermal expansion and contraction of concrete roads, sidewalks, and pavement surrounding a home.

Like many materials, concrete expands when it's hot and contracts when it's cold. Contractors place expansion joints in sidewalks, driveways, and other exterior concrete slabs to absorb and dissipate the stress caused by fluctuating temperatures. The expansion joints allow the concrete slabs to expand and contract independently, relieving pressure and reducing cracking.

Over time, standard concrete expansion joints may fail because they've started to erode, crack, or become filled with materials like sand and gravel. When this happens, the concrete will expand as a single unit, which leads to street creep. As a result, tremendous pressure is put on the edge of the concrete where the driveway meets a garage slab or foundation wall.

Signs of Street Creep Damage

Sidewalk damaged by street creep.

Street creep is a slow process - the lengthening of a typical block-length concrete street is generally only a fraction of an inch each year. While it may not be noticeable at first, the movement will add up to several inches over time and may cause serious foundation damage.

Understanding the warning signs of street creep will help mitigate foundation damage.

• Compressed expansion joints between the garage and driveway
• Movement, cracks, or gaps in sidewalk or street concrete
• Foundation walls tilted inward on either side of the garage
• Basement or foundation walls pushed out by the garage slab
• Cracks in foundation walls or garage floor
• The garage floor slab has pulled away from the garage wall