Pre-cast curbside access ramp and methods of making and installing the same

#The present invention relates generally to curbside access ramps of the type used to interconnect walkways and roadways and relates more particularly to a novel curbside access ramp and to methods of making and installing the same.

#Curbside access ramps used to interconnect walkways (i.e., sidewalks) and roadways in a manner that is wheelchair-accessible are becoming increasingly more prevalent throughout the U.S. and abroad. In fact, over the last several years, the availability of curbside access ramps at specific locations, such as at certain roadway intersections, has been mandated by various federal, state and local rules and regulations. Typically, such rules and regulations specify that the curbside access ramp must have a longitudinal slope from the roadway to the walkway that does not exceed a predetermined maximum value (typically 1:12). In addition, such rules and regulations typically specify that the ramp must include a pair of flared sides each having a transverse slope that does not exceed a predetermined maximum value (typically 1:10). Compliance with the aforementioned slope requirements is often difficult to achieve, however, since the ramp is typically constructed after the roadway and the walkway have already been constructed, with the distance between the roadway and the walkway and the respective heights of the roadway and the walkway already having been set.

#In addition to the aforementioned problem of compliance with governmental rules and regulations, curbside access ramps are currently formed in a manner that is both time and labor intensive, not to mention lacking uniformity in construction techniques. Nevertheless, the installation of a conventional curbside access ramp often involves the following types of steps: cutting into three sections that portion of the curb located where the ramp is to be built; removing the curb sections; digging a hole from the roadway to the walkway where the ramp is to be built and spreading a layer of gravel in the thus-created ramp hole; laying the middle section of the cut curb flush with the roadway so as to bound a portion of the ramp hole; sloping the side sections of the cut curb to transition from the middle section of the cut to the remainder of the curb; laying the side sections of the cut curb in the ground on opposite ends of the middle section so as to bound additional portions of the ramp hole; positioning a form within the ramp hole and, if desired, grading the ramp hole with gravel or the like; pouring concrete into the form; and shaping, screeding, edging, grooving, and troweling the poured concrete to its finished form.

#The accompanying drawings, which are hereby incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first area through which a walkway and a roadway pass in the same generally direction at different elevations, said first area lacking a ramp for interconnecting said walkway and said roadway;

#FIGS. 2(a) through 2(c) are perspective, top and front views, respectively, of the area of FIG. 1 following the installation of a first conventional curbside access ramp thereinto;

#Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of an area through which a walkway W1 and a roadway R1 extend in the same general direction at different elevations, said area being represented generally by reference numeral 11. Walkway W1 and roadway R1 are separated from one another within area 11 by a grassy strip S1 and a granite curb C1. Walkway W1 has a width x1 of approximately 4 feet, strip S1 has a width y1 of approximately 6 feet, and curb C1 has a height h1 of approximately 6 inches. As can readily be seen, area 11 does not include a wheelchair-accessible ramp for interconnecting walkway W1 and roadway R1.

#Referring now to FIGS. 2(a) through 2(c), there are shown perspective, top and front views, respectively, of the area of FIG. 1 following the installation of a first conventional curbside access ramp thereinto, said first conventional curbside access ramp being represented generally by reference numeral 21, the thus-modified area including ramp 21 being represented generally by reference numeral 11′.

#Ramp 21, which extends from the front edge of walkway W1 to the rear edge of roadway R1, comprises a generally rectangular, middle section 23 and a pair of generally triangular, mirror-image (i.e., flared), side sections 25-1 and 25-2. The slope of middle section 23, as measured in the direction indicated by arrow A1 from roadway R1 to walkway W1, is approximately 1:12, given that the height of curb C1 is approximately 6 inches and that the distance between roadway R1 and walkway W1 is approximately 6 feet. The slope of each of side sections 25-1 and 25-2, as measured transversely relative to the aforementioned slope of middle section 23 and as indicated by arrows A2 and A3, respectively, is approximately 1:10.