A lot of people with experience in this line of work would classify asphalt paving operations as a “heavy job.”
If you’re wondering what that means, part of it involves the need for heavy industrial vehicles to haul materials. Items like gravel, tar and stone are not light, and require vehicles with certain GWV ratings. That in turn raises additional issues of cost and investment in operations beyond what you would have for, say, retail courier work.
Then there is the logistics of getting that material abundantly spread onto a surface.
In addition to the heavy nature of asphalt paving work, there are certain structural problems to look out for. Here are three of the usual suspects that we take care to prevent as we work.
Raveling
Raveling happens over time when the top layer of asphalt begins to erode and flake off into local areas.
This can happen for a number of reasons, but the deterioration compromises the integrity of the project, and your final result will suffer. Sometimes it’s an improper mix – and while some smaller amount of raveling may be appropriate with age, if there is excessive raveling, that’s going to compromise the results earlier.
The best operations take care to prevent excessive raveling on a job.
Depressions
Sometimes there is a type of settling that occurs when certain areas will deflate after the asphalt is installed, leading to uneven surfaces. That can create safety issues or other problems for property owners.
This can be extremely frustrating, whether it’s a parking lot or a sports recreation area or anything else that requires a paved surface. You don’t want your parking lot to look like a swimming pool!
In many cases, this settling is due to poor compaction prior to the job being done. The best companies always use best practices to make sure that the soil is compacted before paving so that these depressions don’t develop.
Potholes
These are the bane of the driver’s existence. Potholes have to do with the integrity of the asphalt and how it wears over time. It’s common for municipal crews to address any of these potholes that occur on public roads, but 9on private property, the situation is a little different.
Talk to Dan the Paver about how to get the best asphalt results for your property. Whether you have a single lot or a mansion, or a commercial space, we excel in getting you milling and paving results that hold up well over time.