Asphalt is officially America’s No 1. Recycled product, saving hundreds of millions of cubic yards of landfill space annually - but why should you use recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in your projects?
Increased Life Span
Worried about how often you’ll have to refinish, resurface, or replace your paved project? Recycled asphalt mixtures age at a slower rate than traditional virgin mixes. Why? RAP is mixed with virgin aggregates and binder, and all of the binder has already completed oxidation, slowing down the rate of hardening. RAP is as durable as virgin asphalt, performance proving to be equally or better than the traditional counterpart. As the lifespan of traditional asphalt can reach up to 30 years with proper maintenance, just imagine how long your RAP projects can be.
Direct Cost Comparison
Asphalt is a petroleum-based project - which means the price of asphalt is tied to the price of oil, plus the manufacturing and transportation expenses. Recycled asphalt is readily available, as it can be milled from preexisting roadways and paved surfaces, and leftover rubble from plant production or pavement destruction. With much less administrative work and manual labor needed for production, your expenses are cut dramatically. As the amount of recycled asphalt used in your mix increases, the more your cost decreases. RAP is appropriate for a wide variety of paving projects - it can even be used in the SuperPave mix. The Federal Highway Administration reports that in 2011 the use of RAP saved taxpayers $2.2 billion.
Hate Gravel? There’s another option.
Maybe you don’t want the look of a paved surface, but traditional stone gravel isn’t an ideal material choice. Asphalt millings - or recycled asphalt pavement gravel is another choice for you to consider. What are the advantages of a RAP gravel driveway or surface? RAP gravel produces little dust, is less susceptible to the elements, and will harden over time - requiring less maintenance than stone gravel over all.
Where can you use recycled asphalt?
- Roadways
- Parking lots
- Walkways
- Driveways
- Resurfacing projects
- Road repairs
- A base under building or paving projects
- Shoulder base
- To fill in holes and chips
- Slurry seals
- Bicycle or walking paths
Have a question about recycled asphalt? Are you considering using RAP in a project of yours? Let’s chat! Contact Basic Construction today at (757) 249-3789.
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