Quality of Asphalt Paving Top 5 Factors

Everyone desires high-quality asphalt paving, but what does “high quality paving” even mean? A professional asphalt paving project involves a variety of factors — and there is a noticeable difference between high-quality and low-quality asphalt work.

A project done well results in an asphalt pavement that lasts for many years and requires very little maintenance, which means more money stays in your pocket. On the other hand, poorly laid asphalt pavement may require more frequent repairs and earlier replacement.

Listed below are five of the most critical factors that contribute to the quality of an asphalt paving project:

Ensure you have a stable base.

Asphalt is not poured directly onto the level ground. Sublayers are critical to creating a sturdy, long-lasting surface that can support substantial weight and traffic. Generally, any area to be paved should be prepared by removing loose, soft material and replacing it with subgrade and an aggregate foundation (such as crushed rock). This offers critical stability for the pavement’s top layer, ensuring its ability to withstand high amounts of weight and heavy traffic.

Customize your asphalt mix according to the application.

Asphalt is a mixture of relatively uncomplicated ingredients — mostly bitumen and aggregates such as crushed rock, sand, gravel, or slags — heated to a high temperature. Multiple variables, such as the ratio of the two ingredients and the temperature at which they are mixed and poured, affect the quality of the asphalt pavement. As a matter of fact, this recipe is what determines the asphalt’s strength, lifespan, and appearance.

Different types of asphalt are often used for different purposes depending on the specific application. For example, consider the difference between asphalt and blacktop. Due to the incredible durability of standard asphalt (which contains less crushed stone and is mixed at a lower temperature), it is often used on major roads and highways. On the other hand, blacktop is commonly seen in low-traffic areas such as residential roads, driveways, and hardscaping.

Using the ideal asphalt mix for the application is critical for achieving optimum results.

Ensure proper water drainage.

Pavement deterioration results in expensive repairs or even more expensive earlier replacement. And nothing breaks down asphalt quite like water. When water penetrates the base layers during freeze-thaw cycles, it forces the pavement to expand and contract. The result is cracks or air bubbles on the surface that may eventually develop into potholes.

While some deterioration is unavoidable over the life of asphalt pavement, it can be mitigated with proper drainage. Quality asphalt paving work entails ensuring that the surface slopes properly so that water can drain easily — and not pool in areas where the surface is not sloped properly.

Align the transition areas of your pavement.

Asphalt paving projects usually need the installation of a new surface in relation to existing paved features — this might be other sections of road, curbs, or drainage. Being meticulous in aligning your new asphalt with any pavement transition areas is critical to maintaining proper weight transfer and water drainage. As such, it is a crucial component of high-quality asphalt paving work.

Ensure adequate thickness to meet traffic demands.

An asphalt pavement’s thickness directly correlates with its strength and durability. This indicates that applications with high demand (such as heavily used roads and highways) should be thicker than those with low demand (such as a private road or driveway). Like with the asphalt mix, high-quality asphalt paving requires the skill and diligence to carefully examine the application of the finished pavement and adjust the thickness to successfully meet demand.

Regardless of the requirements of your residential or commercial paving job, the only way to ensure that you end up with high-quality pavement is to call local asphalt paving experts with a successful track record.

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Commonwealth Paving, 136 Outerloop, Louisville, Kentucky 40214
Phone: 502-459-7283, Fax: 502-456-2678

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