Concrete Contractors in Bridge City, TX

Bridge City is ringed by water, and concrete contractors working here plan every slab with that in mind. The town borders the Neches River and Cow Bayou, sits 10 feet above sea level, and each of its three main roads, Chemical Road, State Highway 87 and FM 1442, crosses a body of water to get in or out. The name comes from the Port Arthur-Orange bridge, now the Rainbow Bridge, which opened in 1938.

The storm that reset the town

Hurricane Ike in 2008 brought a 22-foot storm surge. More than 95% of buildings and houses were gutted. Of about 3,400 houses, only 16 were livable right after the storm, and the mayor estimated just 14 homes escaped the surge. Then on August 30, 2017, more than 20 inches of rain fell in 24 hours during Harvey and the city flooded again.

That history means much of the concrete in Bridge City falls into two groups: older slabs and drives that went through one or both floods, and newer flatwork poured during rebuilding. Both need a careful look.

Checking older concrete after floods

For slabs that came through the storms, we look for:

• Cracks with one side higher than the other
• Panels that rock or sound hollow when tapped
• Gaps between the driveway and the garage slab
• Joint filler that has rotted out or is missing
• Soil washed out along slab edges

If the base is sound, crack sealing and joint repair can buy years. If it is undermined, we cut out the bad sections and rebuild from the ground up.

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Building new concrete here

The town grew from 4,677 people in 1960 to 9,546 in 2020, with a 21.8% jump between 2010 and 2020 alone. New homes and rebuilt homes both need flatwork. For new driveways, patios and slabs in Bridge City, we focus on:

Grade first. Every surface falls away from the house toward the street or a drain.

A firm base. Soft topsoil comes out. Select fill or crushed stone goes in and is compacted in layers.

Steel in the middle. Rebar on chairs stays where it does its job during the pour.

Joints on time. We saw-cut joints within hours so shrinkage cracks follow straight lines.

A proper cure. Fresh concrete is kept moist or sealed with a curing compound so the surface gains strength.

What owners ask for

The 2020 census shows 71.8% of occupied homes in Bridge City are owner-occupied, and owners tend to invest in the outside of the house. Common projects are a wider driveway with an extra parking pad, a back patio with a cover, a walk to the side gate, stamped concrete at the front entry and a slab for a storage shed or shop. Where a home has been raised, steps and landings have to reach a higher door.

Curing in coastal heat

A slab gains most of its strength in the first week, and only if it stays moist. In Bridge City's summer heat, an uncovered slab can dry out at the surface within hours. That leaves a weak top layer that dusts, scales or crazes later. After finishing, we either keep the concrete wet, cover it, or spray a curing compound that holds water in. We also ask you to keep cars off a new drive for about a week and to keep heavy trucks, trailers and dumpsters off longer. Those few days of patience pay off for decades.

Before we start

Bridge City incorporated in 1970. Work at the street, in a drainage ditch or near a culvert may need city approval. We check before scheduling and put what we find in writing.