Services
Asphalt Paving
Deciding between asphalt pavement and concrete?
One thing to consider is the climate. The reason a lot of people go with asphalt pavement for their driveways, roadways, and parking lots is the resistance to colder climates. Concrete is prone to expansion and contraction, causing damage and deterioration. Asphalt is also not affected by salt use and can absorb more heat from the sun, allowing snow to melt faster. Asphalt has its cons in hotter climates. Asphalt pavement tends to soften in extreme heat and become oily, as well as causing the pavement to become extremely hot.
Asphalt is superior when it comes to installation and maintenance. It can be installed a lot quicker than concrete because it is easier to work with. It is more cost-effective when it needs maintenance or replacement since only the top layer gets repaved.
Asphalt Patching
Before completely replacing your asphalt pavement, you might be able to get away with surface patching or full-depth patching. Depending on the damage, surface patching is generally for smaller sections. Bigger sections may require full-depth patching. Either way, you save a lot of money when going this route. If done right, patching can help prevent further deterioration and extend the life of your pavement.
In some cases, we can re-use some of the asphalt to save you on materials with a process called asphalt milling. It’s the process of recycling pavement by removing a layer of asphalt and grounding it up to be used as the aggregate in new pavement.
Filling & Sealing
The best way to maintain and extend the life of asphalt pavement at a very low cost is by sealing and/or filling cracks. This process helps prevent water from penetrating beneath the asphalt surface where it causes most of the distresses. Repaired cracks prevent non-compressible substances like dirt to enter and mess with the expansion and contraction of the pavement.
Crack filling is less costly and the materials include liquid asphalt, asphalt emulsions, and cutbacks. It is usually done to cracks that are not expanding or contracting and is considered a temporary treatment. You are looking at 1-2 years of life.
Crack sealing is more costly and the materials include asphalt rubber, rubberized asphalt, low-modulus rubberized asphalt, and self-leveling silicone. It is usually done on cracks that do expand and contract and can be considered a permanent treatment. You are looking at 5-10 years of life.
If you are looking to protect and prolong the life of your pavement, there is also a process called sealcoating. It is the process of sealing the asphalt surface to provide a protective barrier from elements and wear. It is usually done on new or recently laid asphalt but can also be another layer of protection after filling and/or sealing your pavement.
Manholes & Water Valves
Over an extended period of time due to high traffic and heavy loads, manholes and water valves begin to degrade. Resulting in cracked or deteriorated asphalt around them. If left too long, this condition can worsen and may need a complete resurfacing. Many of these failures are due to the vibration a vehicle causes when going over a cover. Slope, driving speed, damping of the tire, and height difference from the pavement all play a big role in the final factor. This is why it is important to level out the cover to the pavement.
We specialize in repair and have many years of experience. In most cases, all we need to do is re-patch the surrounding asphalt pavement. In the worst scenarios, we do have to do a complete resurfacing. This involves rising the cover to pavement level. We do this by adding a concrete riser to the hole. Not only does it help with the leveling but also strengthens the manhole/water valve for longevity.
We provide very competitive prices since we do manufacture our own concrete risers. This helps not only save time but also money.