ASPHALT CONSTRUCTION
ASPHALT MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
Asphalt pavement begins deteriorating the moment it is laid. As cracks develop, water can seep in to the pavement to weaken the sub-base and cause pavement failure. Once this happens, the only options are more costly patch repair or asphalt rehabilitation.
The best way to ensure your pavement stays in top shape is with a planned maintenance program which includes an annual inspection of all roadways, sidewalks, parking lots and dumpster pads.
ASPHALT RECONSTRUCTION
- Cold in-place recycling
- Full-depth reconstruction
- Full-depth reclamation
Advantages to paving with Asphalt:
- Low initial construction costs
- Short construction and curing time
- Safe: it offers skid resistance, reduced splash back, good contrast to road markings
- Recyclable
- If kept in good condition, an older asphalt surface can be milled and overlayed instead of needing complete removal and replacement.
- Lower ore and fertilizer input requirements than concrete
- Lower toxic production emissions than concrete
- No need for reinforcing materials, which are expensive and prone to corrosion
How to tell if you have a quality paving job
Although one asphalt job may look like any other on the surface, quality paving can be seen in the way edges are cut, the size and shape of the areas chosen for removal, use of proper equipment, the trained eye and technique of the raker, and the compacting of the surface.
In fact, the biggest factor that may go unnoticed is the compaction of the asphalt. Proper compaction is critical - it leads to a longer life, stronger joints, and a solid surface. Compaction locks the asphalt aggregate together to reach stability and provide resistance to deformation while also reducing the permeability and improving its durability. The most important factor that affects the contractors ability to achieve proper compaction is temperature. The compaction temperature of the asphalt is effected by the weather and wind which cool it at a more rapid pace, the asphalt thickness of the layer which helps it hold heat more or less, and the actual temperature at which the asphalt was placed on the ground.
The lifts (layer of placed asphalt) affect compaction and durability. The thicker the asphalt lift, the easier it is to compact and the longer it retains heat. The lift thickness should be at least three to five times the nominal maximum aggregate size. So, a typical thickness of the asphalt lift will be about three inches. It's important to have the lift thick enough to support the load of the traffic it is being built for.