How to Install a Concrete Speed Bump: 2026 Guide

Installing a concrete speed bump takes 6 to 12 hours per bump for precast units, or 8 to 24 hours plus a 7-day cure for cast-in-place. You need a concrete crew with form work, anchor-pin drilling, and joint-control experience. What you get is a 15 to 25-year asset that outlasts both rubber and asphalt. The ITE Traffic Calming Manual lists concrete as the longest-lifespan speed-bump material, but the upfront cost and install complexity push most property managers toward asphalt or rubber.

Below: both install paths — precast set and cast-in-place pour — and when concrete is the right call versus asphalt or rubber.

Precast Versus Cast-In-Place: Which Should You Pick?

Two paths exist for concrete speed bump installation:

• Precast. A factory-poured concrete bump section arrives at the site cured and ready to set. Anchor pins and epoxy fix it to existing pavement. Install runs 6 to 12 hours per bump. No on-site cure cycle.
• Cast-in-place. Form work is built on the existing pavement. Concrete is poured into the form and finished with a screed. The bump cures on-site for 7 days before opening to traffic. Total install time runs 8 to 24 hours plus the 7-day cure.

Precast is faster and predictable. Cast-in-place is custom-shaped to the lane width and produces a stronger bond to existing concrete pavement. Most Oregon commercial sites pick precast for retrofits and cast-in-place for new construction where the bump is poured with the surrounding slab.

Per ITE references and Cojo field experience, a properly installed concrete bump runs 15 to 25 years versus 7 to 10 for asphalt and 3 to 5 for rubber. The lifespan story is the only reason to pay the concrete premium.

What Materials and Equipment Are Required?

For precast set:

• Precast concrete speed bump section sized to lane width
• Anchor pin hardware kit — typically 3/4-inch threaded rod with epoxy
• Hammer drill with 7/8-inch concrete bit
• Two-part epoxy
• Torque wrench
• Crane, forklift, or skid steer (precast bumps weigh 400 to 1,200 pounds depending on length)

For cast-in-place pour:

• Concrete mix — 4,000 to 5,000 psi minimum, air-entrained for Oregon freeze-thaw exposure per Oregon Standard Specifications for Construction (oregon.gov/odot)
• Form lumber and stakes for the parabolic profile
• Rebar — typically #3 bars on 12-inch centers for crack control
• Concrete screed sized to the parabolic cross-section
• Wood float and steel trowel for finishing
• Joint-control saw for control joints
• Curing compound or wet burlap for moisture retention during cure

Both paths also require traffic control, MUTCD chevron paint and signage (mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov), and personal protective equipment per OSHA 1910 (osha.gov).

How Do You Install a Precast Concrete Speed Bump?

Step 1 — Layout and Position

Mark the centerline of the bump perpendicular to traffic. Position the precast section over the marked footprint using the crane or skid steer. Verify clearance from any ADA accessible route per ADA Standards (ada.gov).

Step 2 — Mark Anchor Pin Holes

Precast bumps come with 4 to 6 pre-drilled anchor pin holes through the body. Use chalk to transfer hole positions to the pavement. Verify each marked hole sits at least 4 inches from a pavement crack or edge.

Step 3 — Drill the Anchor Pin Holes

Use the hammer drill with the 7/8-inch concrete bit to drill 6 to 8 inches deep. Vacuum out concrete dust. The deeper drill compared to rubber-bump anchors reflects the greater shear load on heavier concrete sections.

Step 4 — Insert Threaded Rod and Epoxy

Inject two-part epoxy into each hole to roughly 75 percent depth. Insert the threaded rod immediately. Excess epoxy displaces as the rod seats; wipe clean.

Step 5 — Set the Precast Bump

Lower the precast section back over the anchor pin pattern using the lifting equipment. Pre-drilled holes drop over the threaded rods. Verify the bump sits flush on the pavement with no rocking — shim under low corners if needed.

Step 6 — Torque Anchor Nuts

Hand-thread anchor nuts onto each rod. Torque in star pattern to manufacturer spec, typically 60 to 100 ft-lb for concrete-bump hardware. Apply chevron paint per MUTCD and install W17-1 advance warning signage upstream.

How Do You Cast a Concrete Speed Bump In Place?

Step 1 — Build the Form

Construct form lumber to the parabolic cross-section per ITE Traffic Calming Manual chapter 3 — 3 to 4 inches tall at centerline, tapering to existing pavement grade at the leading and trailing edges. Stake the form to existing pavement with concrete screws to prevent float during pour.

Step 2 — Place Rebar

Lay #3 rebar on 12-inch centers running parallel to traffic. Tie cross bars on 18 to 24-inch centers. Rebar is what controls cracking on a long-lifespan asset; skipping it shortens lifespan to 5 to 8 years.

Step 3 — Prep Existing Pavement

Score the existing pavement perimeter inside the form footprint to a depth of 1/2 inch. Apply concrete bonding agent to the scored surface for adhesion between existing pavement and new pour.

Step 4 — Pour and Screed

Pour 4,000 to 5,000 psi air-entrained concrete into the form. Screed the parabolic profile across the form using the screed sized to ITE cross-section. Float and trowel for finish smoothness.

Step 5 — Cut Control Joints

Once the concrete reaches initial set (typically 4 to 8 hours), use the joint-control saw to cut control joints every 4 to 6 feet along the bump's length. Control joints prevent random cracking by directing crack propagation.

Step 6 — Cure for 7 Days

Apply curing compound or wet burlap immediately after finishing. Maintain moisture for 7 days minimum. Open to traffic at day 7. Apply chevron paint at day 14 once concrete reaches full strength.

For pricing on each install path, see our concrete speed bump cost guide. For the asphalt comparison, see concrete vs asphalt speed bumps. For broader concrete pricing context, see our concrete slab cost guide.

Why Are Concrete Bumps More Brittle Than Asphalt?

Concrete is rigid; asphalt is flexible. In Oregon's freeze-thaw cycles (30 to 60 cycles per winter on the I-5 corridor per Oregon Climate Service, climate.oregonstate.edu), concrete cracks where asphalt rebounds. Air-entrained concrete with proper rebar and control joints handles freeze-thaw acceptably; non-air-entrained concrete fails within 5 winters.

This is why most Oregon installs pick asphalt over concrete despite concrete's longer headline lifespan. The freeze-thaw resistance gap is real, and the install tolerance is unforgiving.

On a Bend distribution center we surveyed in February 2026, the property had three concrete speed bumps installed in 2018 by a previous contractor. Two had cracked across the centerline by year 4. The cause: non-air-entrained mix and missing control joints. We replaced them with asphalt bumps that should outlast the remaining concrete unit.

When Should You Hire a Contractor?

Always for concrete speed bump installation — both precast and cast-in-place. Concrete installs require a concrete crew with form work, anchor-pin drilling, joint-control experience, and air-entrained mix sourcing. Self-install of concrete bumps fails predictably in Oregon's climate.

For Bend-area concrete bump installs, see our Speed Bump Installation in Bend Oregon service page. For overall install procedure across all materials, see how to install speed bumps.

Or Hire Cojo's Concrete Crew

Concrete speed bumps are the longest-lifespan asset in the speed-bump category, and they reward correct installation and punish shortcuts. Cojo's concrete crew installs precast and cast-in-place speed bumps across Oregon with air-entrained mix records, control-joint placement photos, and 7-day cure documentation for liability records. Hire Cojo's installation crew for your next project.