Monday, May 12, 2014

Driveway Construction With Asphalt Paving Phoenix Contractors

By Essie Osborn


Hot mix asphalt is a less expensive method of installing pavements in new and old homes as well as business properties. If you are planning to pave your surfaces, you may consider this material as your choice. With asphalt paving Phoenix contractors, they can design and pave surfaces using the best practices and state-of-the-art equipments.

To get a durable and long lasting asphaltic pavement, you need to ensure the contractor does everything right from the laying of foundation or the base to the application of blacktop. Asphaltic driveways and parking lot are made using crushed stones and aggregate, which form the sub base as well as sand and asphalt cement. With a properly installed asphaltic paving surface, it can last for about 25 years or more.

If aggregate is not compacted firmly, it will become unstable and weaken the structure. A contractor should use the right equipments and quality materials so that you get a durable finished pavement. When contractors are designing pavements, they should allow proper grading which drains water away from the surface.

A crown to edge sloping grade is essential for your pavements in order to drain away the water collecting on surfaces. At the edges, water should also be directed away from the road and from any building structures. When cracks occur, they have to be repaired as soon as possible. Cracks are not a good sign to the structural integrity of roads.

Cracks, when left unattended, they continue to widen and deepen. Soon you will have to deal with a serious problem. Cracks allow water to penetrate underneath pavements. That water may freeze during winter and continue enlarging the cracks. The freeze-thaw cycle is considered potential risk for pavements.

The frozen water melts during the warm weather and leaves behind empty spaces that are filled with materials from the blacktop. However, with timely sealing of cracks or patching of extensive cracked sections, you can prevent further water damage. Seal coating is also an important procedure for your pavements. It helps enhance the elasticity of blacktop thus preventing cracking and restoring tracking effect.

The movement of soils may cause the sub base to be unstable. If cracks have developed, crack filling can be applied to restore the damaged sections of your driveways or parking lots. Crack fillers prevent further damage to the road structures. Presence of cracks allows water to start seeping underneath your driveway. Water results to serious damages when it finds its way into the sub grade layer. The increasing moisture weakens the soils and makes the sub base unstable. In addition, the water settling down in cracks expands during the cold months of winter.

Frozen water enlarges and widens those cracks and when warmer months arrive, the frozen water melts down leaving voids. The empty spaces are filled with materials from above forming potholes. Repairing cracks in time ensures that your pavements do not suffer from water damage. Properly maintained driveways and parking lots will cost you less in repairs and maintenance in the long term.




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