Caring For New and Old Asphalt Pavements.

Following are a few helpful suggestions about the care of your asphalt pavement. While asphalt is very durable and requires very little maintenance, there are some precautions that should be taken to protect the material. Unfortunately, commercial installations cannot be monitored like a residential driveway. Therefore, virtually all commercial installations have much heavier paving and compaction equipment than residential installations. However, the commercial and residential pavements can benefit from some of the following tips. One should always avoid turning the wheels of your vehicle while it is not moving. This can break up the structure of the aggregate. One also should never place any of the following items on freshly paved asphalt: an automobile jack, a bicycle or motorcycle kickstand (if this cannot be avoided we suggest placing a block of wood between asphalt and the item), any chair or table set, ladders, or any other pointed objects. This suggestion takes on special importance during the heat of the summer, when the pavement is in direct sunlight and can be much more pliable than at other seasons. Fresh asphalt absorbs a lot of heat and usually cools down towards the evenings after the sun sets, and this heat is especially brutal in the summer.

Sealcoat Protection.

Asphalt Repairs

The best means for repairing failed asphalt is the Remove and Replace (R&R) method. With R&R, we mark and saw cut the perimeter of the areas to be repaired and remove the broken asphalt down to a minimum of 3" (the actual thickness depends on the normal weight of the traffic that will be driving over the pavement; heavy trucks demand more thickness). Prior to replacing the asphalt we proof roll the exposed base by driving a loaded truck over the area to make sure it is sufficient to support the new pavement. Two reasons an area could fail a proof roll is: 1.) There is not not enough aggregate base materials. 2.) The soil beneath the base is not strong enough to support the weight. If either case exists, we remove the existing base and excavate the soils to the proper depth (or down to a more stable material). For example, black dirt under the base could very well be the reason the existing pavement failed. Typically you want to build your base over a compacted clay sub-grade. The repairs done in this method do not have to be removed when the time comes to do a complete resurface of the pavement.

Overlay Patching