Asphalt Paving Blog

4 Ways Asphalt Paving in Wisconsin Helps the Community

asphalt-paving-in-wisconsin-benefits-the-communityAsphalt pavement benefits you and your community in ways you've probably never thought of! In fact, it's arguable that asphalt pavement is the unsung hero of the paving world.

According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) asphalt covers more than 94% of paved roadways in the United States, and for that we’d like to pay tribute to this literal trailblazer.

Asphalt Helps Wisconsin Communities Because:

1. Asphalt Makes for a Quiet Ride

Open-graded asphalt pavement, also referred to as "quiet pavement", is constructed with large air voids, which act to reduce tire and road noise by absorbing some of the noise energy. In fact, open-graded asphalt actually lowers highway noise by about 3 to 5 decibels (dBA.) To provide some perspective, city traffic produces 78 dBA of sound, while a conversation between two people generally produces about 65 dBA. On an asphalt surface, noise can be reduced to near conversation levels.

2. Asphalt Pavement is Recyclable

You might be surprised to learn that asphalt is one of the most recycled materials in the United States. This is because asphalt can be reused repeatedly through a re-heating process. Wolf Paving recycles 100% of asphalt removed from job sites, and we often accept excess recyclable materials from private contractors.

Not only is recycling materials good for the environment, it's good for your business. Check out this blog to see how adding Green Infrastructure can save you money and make your property safer.

At Wolf Paving, we own the materials and asphalt plants, which allows us to recycle and produce asphalt pavement suited specifically for the weather in our services areas of Greater Milwaukee and Madison.

3. Asphalt Creates Jobs

In addition to helping you get to and from work, asphalt also helps to create local jobs. According to the NAPA, for every $1 billion in federal spending on highway construction nationwide, nearly 28,000 jobs are created.

4. Asphalt Performs Well In Cold Weather

Weather in the Midwest can be unforgiving and unpredictable. In cold climates, asphalt outperforms concrete because of its ability to adapt to changing weather and temperatures. Concrete, despite its durability, can fall victim to frost heaving, which occurs when soil begins to freeze, causing the ground to swell upward.

The dark color of asphalt pavement solves problems in the cold as well as it absorbs more heat from the sun. This causes snow and ice to melt much more quickly, leaving you with a safer path or driveway.

So here’s to you asphalt, and all the wonderful things you do for our local community! Of course, as Milwaukee and Madison paving specialists, we are pretty fond of all things paving.

For more information on Wolf Paving’s services or to request a detailed estimate, please call our Milwaukee area office at 262-965-2121. If you live in the Madison area, please call 608-249-7931. We offer residential, commercial and municipality paving services.

everything you need to know about asphalt

Topics: Asphalt Paving