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Is there any way that I can remove these roots and let the driveway concrete slab (raised by the roots) settle to its original position?

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Reza
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    Leaving the root in place can cause a couple issues over time. I've been told by arborists that the roots can sprout back to life. Another issues is that supposing the root does die, it will decay and you'll eventually have the opposite problem. How soon it becomes the opposite problem is anybody's guess. There might be other issues, but these are what immediately come to mind. – brehma Mar 30 '22 at 03:43
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    Depending on the size & thickness of the slab, it _might_ be possible to lever the slab up, grind out the root, replace it with graves & fines and compact them, then settle the slab back down. _**Might.**_ It would probably be easier, safer and cheaper to replace the slab, though. – FreeMan Mar 30 '22 at 11:39
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    If these roots are connected to a live tree, you run the risk of losing the tree. Or if the tree remains healthy, it'll just regrow roots in the same general direction. – Carl Witthoft Mar 30 '22 at 13:20
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    However you end up resolving this, I recommend installing a root barrier while you're already digging up the area. – bta Mar 30 '22 at 23:04

2 Answers2

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I'm hesitant to say "no way" because if you spend enough time and money you could possibly get these out from below while supporting the slab and then somehow find a way to push it back down.

But I think that's going to be WAY more expensive than the usual solution which is to break up that section of the slab, remove the roots, fill and compact the area where they roots were, and finally pour a new section of slab.

jwh20
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Easiest is to just let the roots rot. You can tar or herbicide the ends (where you cut them) to keep them from sprouting. The slabs will hopefully settle back down to flat. It's possible they'll settle too much or crack, and then you can decide if you want to break them up. Otherwise you would just need to break them up now.

jay613
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