Concrete Contractors in West Memphis, AR

West Memphis homeowners hiring concrete contractors are building on very different ground from the bluffs across the river. West Memphis sits at about 213 feet of elevation in the Mississippi River floodplain, roughly 125 feet lower than Memphis. The western part of the city lies in the Northern Backswamps ecoregion and the eastern part in the Northern Holocene Meander Belts, both shaped by centuries of river flooding. That low, flat ground affects how every driveway and patio here should be built.

Building on backswamp soil

Backswamp areas are where floodwater once spread out and settled its finest particles, which leaves heavy, clay-rich soil. Clay holds water and swells when wet, then shrinks when it dries, and that movement can crack and tilt a slab that sits right on it. In West Memphis we remove soft topsoil, place a solid layer of compacted stone between the clay and the concrete, reinforce the slab, and give it as much slope as the flat lot allows so water does not sit against it.

A city with flood history

Levees have protected the area since the St. Francis Levee District was formed in 1893. The last levee break in Crittenden County was in 1913. In late 1987 the city was hit hard: an F3 tornado on December 14 killed six people and left 1,500 homeless, and on December 25 about 12 inches of rain caused flooding. Today the concern for most homeowners is not river floods but heavy rain on flat yards, and good grading is the answer.

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Mid-century homes

West Memphis was the fastest-growing city in Arkansas in the 1940s and grew from 3,369 residents in 1940 to 26,070 in 1970. Many homes date from those decades, so original carports, driveways and walks are often sixty years old or more. Those slabs are usually thin and broken enough that replacing them is the better value. The 2020 census counted 24,520 residents and 11,079 housing units.

Common West Memphis projects

Carport and driveway replacement, new front walks and steps, back patios, slabs for sheds and storage buildings, and parking pads. Close to Interstates 40 and 55 and the trucking companies along them, many residents also want room for a work truck or trailer.

A step-by-step West Memphis replacement

On a typical carport or driveway replacement here, we file the Arkansas 811 locate, break out the old slab and haul it away, dig out soft soil, and place and compact crushed stone in layers. Then we set forms and reinforcement, pour and finish the concrete, and cut control joints while it is young. You get a written estimate before any of that starts, and the written estimate is the price. We also explain how to keep water away from the new slab, since drainage is the biggest factor in how long concrete lasts on this ground.

Arkansas 811

Arkansas requires 2 working days of notice to Arkansas 811 before digging. We file the request for every job. Call (901) 910-1055 for a free estimate in West Memphis.