Why wouldnt it make more sense for the sidewalk to be just one strip of concrete similar to how roads are made?
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Sidewalks are laid in sections for several good reasons:
1) If a section is damaged, it can be pulled out and replaced without affecting the rest of the walkway.
2) Services like water pipes, gas and communications often run under sidewalks. In order to service these it is easier if workers can pull up sections of the sidewalk instead of having to cut into and later repair a larger strip.
3) Sidewalks sometimes need to be changed and sectioning allows this without having to replace large strips.
Roads also have similar issues regarding services and damage, however, it is the material that makes them different. Roads made of concrete are usually sectioned just like sidewalks for the same reasons. Concrete is very durable, and repairing long strip is not easy and the repair itself can leave cut lines that degrade over time. Most roads are made with asphalt for this very reason. Asphalt is soft compared to concrete, it can be cut out much more easily and a patch can be put down easily. Asphalt cut lines also degrade over time, but because it is so easy to patch it doesn’t matter much, it just gets patched again and again. Eventually asphalt must be fully removed and the whole surface gets repaved, but this is way easier and cheaper than concrete and that’s why it gets used.
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