Can tree roots lifting a sidewalk be fixed in Winston-Salem?

Yes. A sidewalk section lifted by tree roots gets fixed by removing the heaved sections, dealing with the root, and repouring, and the decision that matters happens in the middle step. Cutting a major root can destabilise or kill a mature tree, so the honest options are rerouting the walk slightly, bridging with a thicker reinforced section, or accepting a managed root cut on smaller roots. In Winston-Salem's older neighbourhoods with big oaks and maples, this is one of the most common concrete calls there is.

Updated Aug 18, 2026 · Winston-Salem Concrete Co, Winston-Salem, NC

Concrete Repair & Replacement Concrete Leveling & Lifting

What to decide before anyone pours

The pour is the easy part. The real choices are about the tree and the line of the walk.

Keep the tree, move the walk: a slight curve around the root zone costs little more and ends the fight permanently.
Keep the line, beef the slab: a thicker reinforced section over the root zone rides future movement better than a standard walk.
Cut the root: acceptable on smaller roots, a real risk on structural ones. An honest contractor will say when it is a tree decision, not a concrete decision.
Public sidewalk sections and anything in a right-of-way can involve the city: the contractor handles that conversation as part of the job.

Why grinding is usually a stopgap

Grinding the lip off a heaved joint removes the trip edge today, but the root keeps growing and the grind keeps getting redone. It has a place as a cheap interim fix, and it is not a destination. Sectional replacement with the root question answered is the fix that stays fixed.

Common questions

Who is responsible for a heaved public sidewalk?⌄

It varies by where the section sits and local rules, and it is exactly the kind of thing the contractor sorts out during the estimate rather than you guessing at. Sections on your own property are straightforwardly yours.

Will the roots just lift the new concrete too?⌄

If the pour ignores the root, eventually yes. That is why the reroute, reinforce, or root-management decision comes first. Done right, the new walk outlives the problem.

Can tree roots lifting a sidewalk be fixed in Winston-Salem?

What to decide before anyone pours

Why grinding is usually a stopgap

Common questions

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