It is not easy to navigate all of the information you can find online about asphalt repair and repaving. If your municipality needs asphalt maintenance work completed, where do you turn for help?
Each day, we receive a number of inquires from local residents, businesses and municipalities alike, seeking information on asphalt repair and resurfacing. With over 75 years of experience in the asphalt industry, our team at Wolf Paving is proud to help members of our community understand optimal repair and repaving solutions.
Here are a few of the questions we recently received from municipalities on our website. To help us answer these questions, we turn to one of our Project Managers at Wolf Paving.
1. Is there any way to salvage asphalt when it begins to crumble?
Yes, small crumbling areas of asphalt pavement can be repaired. If you see patches of surface area that are crumbling, it is important to repair them quickly, so they are not able to spread. Crumbling asphalt can be caused by water that has penetrated the sub-base, causing failure under the surface.
To repair crumbling areas, the first step is to clean out all debris. Once the area is clean, compromised areas can be removed and the area can be repaired with an appropriate custom asphalt mix.
2. What are the paving options for municipal roadways and parking lots?
If your municipality is considering materials for a new asphalt surface, there are a number of options to keep in mind.
- Perpetual Pavement is a great option for municipal roadways or driveways with heavy traffic flow. Perpetual pavement is designed as a multi surface, with a strong sub and middle base. As such, when repairs are needed, only the top layer is removed and replaced, reducing the work time and long term costs significantly.
- Porous asphalt is a green paving solution that allows water to drain through the surface and into the soil and water table below. This type of pavement is a great option for parking lots, because it enhances storm water management and improves the quality of ground water.
- Open-graded asphalt pavement, also referred to as "quiet pavement", is made with large air voids to reduce the tire/road noise. Noise can be reduced by up to 50 percent because quiet asphalt is able to absorb some of the noise energy into the air void space. This option is great for replacing municipality roadways through residential areas where community members are worried about noise.
3. What are alligator cracks? Potholes? How do you tell the difference?
Alligator cracks, or fatigue cracks are very distinctive; the cracking patterns almost look like reptile scales. Without prompt repair, alligator cracking can quickly spread across a pavement surface. These types of cracks are often a result of asphalt that was laid on a poorly structured base or where the base has deteriorated quickly due to water infiltration. Alligator cracks are also very common in colder climates, where the continual freeze-thaw cycle floods the sub-base and weakens the support structure.
Potholes, on the other hand, are caused by the expansion and contraction of water after it has entered into the surface under the pavement. As the weight of cars and trucks pass over compromised weak spots in the asphalt, pieces of the pavement weaken, which causes the material to break down from the weight, creating the pothole. You can identify potholes as an area where parts or all of the asphalt is removed from the surface area, exposing the sub-base.
4. How to select the right contractor for the job?
Finding the right contractor for your municipal paving job is about looking for important key qualities in both the company you choose and the contractor you meet with directly. Do your research and find a contractor with the level of experience and knowledge to complete your job on time and on budget. You should also consider their customer satisfaction rating and ask for recent customer reviews. Lastly, be sure that they have the equipment and personnel available to complete your job, and understand the importance of finding a contractor that controls the raw ingredients and manufactures their own customer asphalt mix.
Do you have any questions you’d like to ask our expert Project Manager? Let us know in the comments!
With over 75 years of asphalt paving experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your asphalt paving needs.
For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free quote for your next paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.
