How are crosswalks designed?
Concrete headers typically used in paver crosswalks perform like bridge abutments. The pavement on aggregate base located on both sides of the header (in and outside the crosswalk) will deform at the junction of flexible pavement and rigid concrete. Why? Because there’s no interlock between the aggregate base and the adjacent concrete. For that reason, most crosswalks should be placed on a concrete base with concrete headers separating the pavers from the adjacent pavement (typically asphalt). The base on the immediate sides of the concrete base should be stabilized with cement to provide additional stiffness and reduce the likelihood of deformation at its junction with the concrete headers. The concrete base under the pavers should have drain holes, typically 25 to 50 mm diameter. They should be at the lowest elevations and covered with geotextile to prevent loss of bedding sand.
