Asphalt

Asphalt

Asphalt is a flexible pavement that is used for parking lots, roads, driveways, and other surfaces. The flexibility of asphalt allows it to expand and contract with the seasons, but in order to last a long time, it must be placed on a solid foundation of crushed stone.
The design life of commercial pavements is generally between 25 and 30 years. During this time, it will not be maintenance-free, however. Crack sealing, patching, seal coating, and drainage modifications may all be necessary to ensure that an asphalt pavement performs as it is intended to.
Eventually, even with good maintenance, the commercial pavement will need to be resurfaced, and, if done properly, the life cycle will begin again.
Contractors in the Pavement Network are experts at identifying the condition of your pavement and recommending solutions (including nothing, if that is an option) based on weather conditions, sub-base conditions, and available materials in any given region. There is no single solution that will solve asphalt problems in every region of the country. As Pavement Network members, we know that our company’s experts can solve your pavement problems in our own geographical areas and that our network partners can handle your parking lot issues in their geographical areas. You can expect the same high-quality results across the country.

Drain Repair & Installation

Site drainage is an extremely important component in the makeup of your parking lot. If the parking lot is well sloped, water will naturally drain away and not cause premature pavement failure. Most parking lots however are relatively flat, for safety reasons, and therefore standing water can become an issue.

If water is allowed to remain on the pavement surface, it can easily percolate through the asphalt, (which is a porous pavement), and start to compromise the subgrade below.

In freezing climates, standing water that turns to ice poses an obvious liability issue.

Once any drainage patterns have been corrected, it is extremely important that catch basins are functioning properly to remove the water. Deteriorating catch basins also pose a significant liability hazard because of the depth a person can fall into if the basin collapses.

Subsurface water can be removed via installation of French drains. Call your Pavement Network professional for recommendations on drainage repairs and installations.

Repairs

As soon as an asphalt pavement is constructed, it starts the process of deterioration. If it is properly constructed, of course, it will need very little,  if any, maintenance within the first couple of years.

However if there are some soft spots in the pavement or if maintenance is deferred for a period of years, potholes or alligator cracking (which indicates failure of the base layers as well as the surface layers of the asphalt) will need to be addressed.

In the old days, asphalt repairs consisted merely of cutting out the deteriorated area, re-compacting the sub base, and installing a full depth asphalt patch, or crushed stone and asphalt. While this is still a viable option for many projects, new technology has given the progressive paving contractor many more options. We can now tailor a repair program specifically for your parking lot, keeping downtime to a minimum and creating the greatest cost benefit ratio for you.

Your Pavement Network professional has at his disposal a full range of repair options, from basic remove and replace, to partial depth patching using milling machines, to infrared patching using extreme heat to give the asphalt new life. Of course it takes a trained eye to know when each of these techniques is best for the job. Call your Pavement Network professional for a free estimate.

Resurfacing

When a pavement system is close to the end of its life cycle, the existing surface should be overlayed with a new layer of asphalt to extend its wear life. However, care must be taken to address all cracked areas in order to prevent translation of cracks through the new surface.All broken areas that move under the weight of a loaded truck must be repaired with full depth asphalt. Isolated cracks must be sealed with a hot pour crack sealer to retard reflective cracking.

Communicate with tenants, distribute, post schedule. All cars must be cleared from each work section.

  • Excavate and repair cracked areas using full depth asphalt. No surface mix is required, just binder asphalt.
  • Completely clean surface of all vegetation and dirt with a broom tractor and forced air blowers. Install riser rings, if needed.
  • Mill the transition areas and perimeter of lot to a depth and width sufficient to provide proper drainage of new surface. Mill around existing utility manholes, if needed.
  • Apply some liquid asphalt emulsion to old asphalt to bond the new layer (at least 0.05 gallons per square yard).
  • Install asphalt surfaces

For additional information about the Pavement Network´s complete asphalt resurfacing services, or to receive an estimate, please contact us. 

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