How to repair cracked driveway curb?

jackstar81

I have a double concrete driveway with street curb and guttering. The front edge of the drive where it joins the roadside has cracked away when a road maintenance crew was doing work along the road (although they deny it despite CCTV footage of their mini excavator driving right up to the edge in the area of the damage). 

Anyhow the front edge where it joins the road with a size of approx 8 - 12 cm back from the road and length of approx 20cm has broken away. The driveway itself seems to have been made in two layers (at least in this section) where the top layer which is approx 3cm deep broke away but the lower level concrete is still in place and smooth.

Getting a concreter to do this I am sure will cost quite a few hundred and for a small job figure at least try DIY first. As vehicles drive over it and it is the road side edge figure I need to prevent shear like forces acting on it. I was thinking one way of doing this is perhaps to use something like 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/strol-0-5m-pebblelock-permeable-pavers_p0215399

or 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/strol-0-5m-surepave-plastic-pavers_p3452192

and could then anchor this into the base concrete and cut it down to the required size. Then utilise a concrete mix to shape and form it smooth to existing curb entry. Finally once complete then paint it to match the rest of the driveway.

My query is, Is what I am thinking a valid plan or is there a better product or method suggestion

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @jackstar81. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a driveway.

That certainly sounds like a solid plan and a creative approach to a tricky repair. Using a paver like the ones you've linked could work well as a form and anchoring point, especially since vehicles will be driving over that edge and you’ll want to avoid any movement or shear forces down the line.

For our members to offer more tailored advice, it’d be really helpful to see a few photos of the damaged section and the surrounding area. That way, we can better understand the extent of the break and how best to reinforce it. Let me know if you need a hand uploading the images—happy to walk you through it.

In terms of method, installing the paver and anchoring it into the base concrete could give the new section something to grip to. Normally, for patching over existing concrete, we’d recommend applying BondCrete or a mortar slurry to the surface. Once that’s just starting to dry, you can go over it with your new concrete mix, and it will help the two layers bond properly.

You might also want to consider drilling into the solid concrete base and inserting some short lengths of rebar. That will act as a mechanical tie between the old and new sections and add extra strength, especially important where there’ll be tyre pressure and vehicle load.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell