6-Methods for Proper Maintenance of Paved Surfaces

Looking at well-maintained paved surfaces, you don’t realize how much labour it takes to keep them in excellent condition. Whether paving contractors specialize in asphalt or concrete, appropriate maintenance is essential to ensure that those smooth tracks and driveways are long-lasting.

This article provides guidance on vital maintenance practices for extending the life of paved surfaces, including fixing cracks and managing seasonal challenges.

Asphalt Overlay

An asphalt overlay creates a fresh road surface with better ride quality and skid resistance. An asphalt overlay may be a suitable remedy to address the following pavement surface distresses:

Raveling
Minimal surface friction
Minor cracking
Minor rutting

The road surface must be cleaned and fastened before applying the asphalt lift for an asphalt overlay. In areas where curb and gutter exist, a gutter reveal may also be considered. The gutter reveal is milled to a width of less than one metre next to the curb in order to preserve the gutter.

An asphalt overlay can be positioned directly over the current road surface. Crack sealing and planer patching are used on inaccessible parts of distress before the asphalt overlay application. An asphalt repair and overlay can raise the grade as no milling or removal is done before placement, except for curb and gutter areas.

Crack Sealing

Crack sealing is a cost-effective maintenance method that can be applied to various types of asphalt surfaces, including residential, municipal, and commercial paving. By employing glue into the cracks, the experts can stop moisture from bleeding into your asphalt, prolonging its life for up to five years.

Crack sealing is an affordable and efficient technique for maintaining surfaces, potentially doubling their lifespan. If performed regularly, it can be completed. Professionals can find problem areas before they become serious.

Cape Seal

A cape seal is a type of road surface treatment incorporating chip sealing and micro surfacing or slurry sealing. It includes the application of a coating of asphalt blend followed by a layer of aggregate chips.

Combining these two sealing methods aims to offer improved durability, skid resistance, and general pavement preservation. Cape sealing is a method used to prolong the lifespan of road surfaces by shielding them from weathering, traffic, and other environmental factors.

Pothole Repair

The municipality employs two methods for repairing potholes:

Firstly, a cold patch is a fast and affordable strategy, where asphalt pre-mix is put in the potholes and compacted. They are quick repairs performed during winter but may not be practical due to asphalt deterioration and pothole formation. These patches are primarily used temporarily until appropriate repairs can be planned.

Second, hot mix repair involves sawing away the pavement surrounding the pothole and then filling it in with hot mix asphalt. This kind of repair usually addresses the fundamental issues; however, the initial cost is higher, and the repair process is more complicated.

Concrete Flatwork Repair

Concrete will infrequently crack, leaving ugly, worn-out patches and making potholes more likely. Fortunately, cracks can be effectively repaired using epoxy concrete repair products or professional paver services, providing short-term solutions to fill or patch the cracks.

Concrete repair can involve various duties, including:

1. Patching: Repairing minor cracks, potholes, and surface flaws by filling them with suitable patching materials to restore the softness and integrity of the concrete.

2. Resurfacing: Covering a fresh layer of concrete over a damaged existing surface to reinstate its look and function is usually carried out for more widespread surface problems.

3. Leveling: To ensure concrete safety and functionality, address irregular surfaces caused by settling or heaving through grinding or mud-jacking procedures.

Haunching Repairs

Haunch repairs occur when the road’s edge collapses due to traffic and poor drainage. This usually happens on narrow roads which handle a specific amount of heavy cargo traffic. The solution is not only to repair the damage region but to strengthen it in order to ensure that the issue does not reappear. This can also need installing a drain where none previously existed.

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