It is important to implement an asphalt maintenance plan as soon as new pavement is completed. It is impossible to construct a pavement that does not develop cracks after a certain amount of service time. In regions with regular freeze and thaw cycles, cracks may appear after each winter. Crack filling beginning once cracks develop will keep asphalt in the best possible condition.
Topics: Asphalt
Believe it or not, asphalt can be a worthwhile contributor to obtaining points for LEED certification. While recycling asphalt to be removed from a site or using recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) as a construction material are certainly prime opportunities for earning LEED points, even traditional hot mix and warm mix asphalt can support LEED certification goals.
Topics: Asphalt
Asphalt roads and parking lots that are properly constructed and maintained should last 20 to 30 years. However, even in optimal conditions, an asphalt surface may begin to show wear and tear prior to the 15-year mark. Sealing can help, and should be done every 3 to 4 years as part of standard maintenance, but serious cracking or standing water may require more extensive repairs. The solution may be resurfacing the asphalt (also referred to as refinishing or applying an overlay), as long as the lot has not sustained structural damage.
Topics: Asphalt
In the earliest stages of considering a project – especially a large project like an asphalt installation or refinishing - many people want to get a “gut check” as to what the budget will need to be to get the job done. There are many basic asphalt calculators available online. Are these are good place to start? Well, maybe.
Basic Construction provides an online asphalt calculator to help customers get an initial grasp on their paving project. Our calculator takes into account the area and depth of the paving project, and calculates the necessary asphalt tonnage based on an industry standard of 148 pounds per cubic foot.
Unless your paving project is a single, perfect square or rectangle, it can be challenging to produce a reasonable estimate of the area. Dividing the pavement area into simple geometric shapes and adding and subtracting these areas to the area to be paved can be a useful method for assessing area. The National Asphalt Pavement Association offers a useful resource for calculating the area of different geometric shapes on their website with a resource titled, “How to Determine Quantities.”
Topics: Asphalt
Asphalt installation experts are key members of a construction team. Their role relies on experience and skills that are necessary to ensure a high quality and lasting asphalt installation, and cannot easily be replicated by general contractors or builders. Four of the skills that asphalt experts bring to the table are:
Topics: Asphalt