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Why Is Drainage Important for Asphalt Pavements?

If you’re planning on building a parking lot or sidewalk, one of the most important things that you need to consider is drainage. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked because it’s not something you can see when you look at a parking lot. Water is the number one culprit in deteriorating asphalt, but with proper planning, you can avoid water damage and deterioration, and ensure the longevity of your site.

Warning Signs of Poor Drainage

If your parking lot has a weak drainage system, it’s pretty evident not too long after your project is complete. If your site has poor drainage after completion, a few of the warning signs you may experience include:

  • Stagnant water pooling in areas, and running down the lot
  • Evidence of rock, sand, or dusty residue in low spots indicated that the water is breaking down the asphalt
  • Water coming through exterior walls and structures

What happens if your site doesn’t include drainage?

Without proper drainage, the longevity of your site and structure will decrease rapidly. Poor drainage can lead to damaged exterior walls, cars, pedestrians, infect local water resources, and penetrate the asphalt’s surface. As standing water penetrates the asphalt, it gets into the subsoil and weakens the base causing cracks. If you want to ensure that your pavement is durable and longlasting, make sure that your asphalt company incorporates appropriate drainage planning into your project.

Drainage Features for Consideration During Planning

When planning proper drainage for your asphalt paving project, there are a few features that you need to take into consideration for your install. Your asphalt company should be able to provide you with an analysis and assessment of your site and present you with the best drainage options for your particular needs. Here are a few areas of consideration that your asphalt company will address during planning.

Slope

If your site is level and prime for pooling water, your planning should include creating a hill. A slight slope (2% grade) in your parking lot or sidewalk allows the water to flow to the outside and not pool in the middle.

Water Direction

Your drainage system should be designed to direct the water away from the exterior walls and create a path to exit appropriately. You need to make sure that water has a place to go that isn’t in your parking lot!

Asphalt Curbing

Including curbing in your planning and design can help you direct water into grassy areas, by providing a tunnel through the curb line. At the end of the curb line, you’ll have installed a drainage point.

Drains & Inlets

Strategically placing drains and inlets around your site gives water an appropriate place to go. Drains and inlets work well with slopes, directing contaminated water.

Pollution Control

Water coming out of parking lots and sidewalks can pick up a variety of pollutants as it flows through your site. Proper drainage planning includes consideration of where the water’s final destination is. It should be in a place that will not infect the water system and disposed of appropriately.

Planning the construction of a parking lot or sidewalk can be a lot of work, but unless you want to deal with numerous maintenance issues like cracks and breaks, make sure that drainage planning is part of your process before your asphalt pavers show up. Not only will it save you a ton of money in upkeep, but it ensures that your investment is built to last and endure for the longterm.

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5 Types of Asphalt Pavement

Did you know that asphalt is the most reused, recycled, and most versatile pavement material? Well, 94% of the 2.6 million American paved roads are made with asphalt. It has been known to be smooth, quiet, safe, and durable.

The pavement structures can be developed in such a way that they can handle any kind of load from passengers to cars and heavy trucks. During asphalt construction, the surface mixes can be customized to reduce splash, absorb noise, and even treat rainwater.

If you are a business owner planning to take on a pavement project, here are five asphalt types that you may want to check before making a decision.

1. Porous Asphalt

The porous asphalt has been there since 1970. It is majorly used in parking lots to allow smooth drainage of rainwater after heavy rainstorms. If storm water isn’t appropriately drained and pools on an asphalt surface, it may cause other defects like potholes, which are dangerous to both pedestrians and motorists.

Porous asphalt prevents potholes and other water-related damages by offering the rainwater a channel to drain. The asphalt companywill place a layer of porous asphalt over a reservoir of the pen graded stone. This way, the water will travel through the pavement, to the stone bed, and eventually infiltrating the soil. When carefully done and maintained, porous asphalt can last over 20 years.

2. Perpetual Pavement

This is a combination of the several layers type of design process and asphalt. From that collaboration, you can tell that they’re long-lasting, smooth, and durable. The process begins by applying a base layer that is base crack-resistant, flexible, and strong enough to handle traffic tension.

The mid-layer offers structure, and the top layer provides that rut-resistant surface to give asphalt the required durability. Installing perpetual pavement is quite straightforward for any experienced asphalt company. It is fast and does not disrupt traffic. If well maintained and given that restorative care, perpetual pavements can last more than 50 years.

3. Quiet Pavement

From its name, quiet pavement is a unique type of asphalt that helps reduce traffic noise. Paving roads with asphalt reduces noise both outside and inside homes and workplaces.

The porous and the open-graded asphalts are popular quiet pavement mixtures as they dissipate the sound energy made by tires. Finely mixed asphalt mixtures can significantly reduce noise as they can decrease contact between the tire and the pavement.

4. Warm-Mix Asphalt

The warm-mix asphalt is made the same way as the hot-mix asphalt only that it is about 50 -100 degrees cooler than the hot-mix asphalt. Reducing asphalt temperature has a number of benefits, including lowering greenhouse gas production during manufacture and mixing, and also reduce fuel consumption.

Other benefits include increased production, improved long-term durability, extended paving season, and the ability to incorporate the reclaimed asphalt pavement.

5. Thin Overlays

Thin overlays reduce pavement distress, lifecycle costs, noise levels, and improves ride quality. Thin asphalt overlays were the most commonly used in preventative maintenance treatments according to a 1999 survey by AASHTO. They provide functional improvements that increase smoothness and safety.

However, it is essential for a business owner to understand that thin overlays aren’t appropriate for all pavements. You may need to carefully examine the existing pavement to determine the functional, structural, and drainage conditions of that pavement.

 

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Why is Parking Lot Striping Important?

If you’re like most people, then you spend a lot of time in parking lots. From going to the grocery store to heading to the mall for four hours on a Saturday, we spent a great deal of time in these areas. But while you park, leave your vehicle, then hop back in for the ride home, you probably don’t really think about the different aspects of parking areas and how they work. From the striping to the flow of traffic, there are many aspects that result in a well-functioning and great looking parking area.

In this post, we’ll discuss parking lot striping and talk about five reasons why it’s important.

Safety

Parking lots can be massive with hundreds of spaces crammed into a little area. With so many people walking to and from their vehicles—not to mention the hundreds of cars leaving and coming in at the same time—staying safe can be a tough task. That’s were parking lot striping comes in. This striping helps to label pedestrian areas in order for drivers to know to stay clear of these locations. In addition, striping on parking lot paving can help to improve the flow of traffic. From angled parking spaces to arrows that label the direction of traffic, this striping helps the parking lot function properly to limit accidents and other complications.

Handicap Access

Another reason why striping on parking lot paving is so important is that it gives proper access to handicapped individuals. Some parking lots don’t clearly label these areas, which could lead to others parking in these reserved spaces. In order to provide access for these handicap individuals, parking lot striping makes it easy. This striping can help drivers and pedestrians clearly see these parking spaces to ensure the right individuals park there.

Appearance

Have you ever noticed a parking lot that was just recently completed or one that was just repainted? If so, then you probably noticed how great it looked. That being said, another benefit of parking lot striping relates to the curb appeal. In fact, this can be a deciding factor for a customer to walk into your store or not. In addition, it’s vital to routinely re-paint your parking lot to give off a great impression and welcome customers into your store.

Guides Traffic

One of the more beneficial purposes of striping is to properly direct traffic. Given how some parking lots can fit hundreds of cars, it’s important to have the right traffic guidance in place—including freshly painted striping that clearly marks parking lot spaces, the direction of traffic, walking paths, and more.

Maximizes Parking Area

Another reason striping is vital for parking lots is because it helps to maximize the parking area. If you have faded striping or no striping at all, this can make it confusing for drivers, which could lead to an ineffective flow of traffic and a lot of wasted space. That being said, it’s best to strategize where to place your parking spaces, then ensure that the striping is done appropriately.

Striping Does it All

From helping businesses get customers in the door to providing safety for those customers, parking lot striping is probably more important than you thought. So the next time you head to the grocery store or bank, take a look at the parking lot striping and think about how important it really is.

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Four Advantages of Parking Lot Curbing

The easier it is for people to park and visit your place of business, the more likely you are to turn a profit and stay open. Yet, many business owners overlook the importance of the layout of their parking areas. A well-designed and properly built parking lot helps to streamline visitation and greatly enhance business potential. Curbing helps to define parking areas and make a business much more attractive and inviting to new and returning customers. In many ways, curbs are highly useful business tools that often get ignored.

Curbs are very useful tools for controlling vehicular and foot traffic. They also help to control water runoff and debris, while enabling faster and more efficient cleaning. When you own a commercial property, do not make the mistake of overlooking the importance of parking lot curbing and how it impacts your business and personal property. Here are four advantages that you get from a high-quality parking lot curb:

1. More Attractive Appearance

Good, clean parking lots always are more appealing than dirty, disorienting layouts. The old saying “curb appeal” describes the ideal parking lot curb that provide clean, straight lines and readily apparent borders between parking and pedestrian areas. The more attractive the external appearance, the more likely people will choose to stop and visit, rather than move on to a more appealing location.

2. Improved Safety

A parking lot can enhance safety when its curbs and lines are laid out clearly. That makes it easier to separate foot traffic and vehicles and improve general safety conditions for customers and business owners alike. It also helps to cut down on fender-benders and other accidents in your parking lot. The easier it is for drivers and pedestrians to navigate the parking area, the safer it becomes. The safer it is, the less stress drivers and pedestrians have while visiting your place.

3. Easier Cleaning and Maintenance

A parking lot curb helps to trap and isolate dirt and debris moved around by wind, rain and people. The curb provides a barrier between foot traffic and the parking area that traps dirt and debris. That makes it much easier to collect and dispose of, while improving drainage during rainstorms. Street sweepers and other cleaners can get at the isolated debris and clean it up faster and more readily than when there is no curb. Snow removal also is much easier when the curb provides a barrier between the plow and sidewalk.

4. Better Parking Areas

Curbs do more than control traffic and improve safety and cleaning. They also strengthen the parking lot by anchoring asphalt paving. Concrete curbs improve compaction when parking lots are built. They also increase the parking area’s stiffness and strength with their weight, and maintain edges against roadway traffic. The curbs also work well for deflecting vehicle loads that otherwise might damage walkways and parking areas. Instead, the curbs deflect those loads, which extends the life of your parking area.

Your parking area is a very important part of your business plan. You need to ensure it has an optimal design that enhances your business aims and makes it easier for people to visit you in person. Curb appeal always helps to make any business better.

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Top Five Reasons To Repair The Potholes In Your Parking Lot

Small business owners have a lot of weight on their shoulders. They always have to watch for the angles to increase revenue. They have to manage staff, customers, vendors, and government regulators.

Cutting costs is always on the menu, but only in a way that does not reduce customer satisfaction. On top of all this, they must keep the concrete parking lots and buildings in good condition. As a manager or business owner, you probably understand this balancing act.

Here are five reasons you might want to prioritize repairing the potholes in your parking lot.

Managing The First Impression

For the customers who don’t find you on the internet, the parking lot is part of their first impression. People driving by watch your building and parking lot for signs of prosperity. Potential customers begin judging the experience the moment they drive onto your property.

Maintaining a smooth parking lot is as necessary to customer experience as keeping the floors clean. You wouldn’t let your customers wade through piles of trash, would you?

Disrepair Only Gets Worse

Not spending $50 today can often cost you $100 tomorrow. It can be true in health care and car maintenance, and it is true with parking lots.

If you don’t fix the potholes now, they will only get bigger with time. Eventually, they will get so bad that you will have to replace the entire parking lot. Fixing the damage at your first opportunity will save you money in the long run.

Avoiding Lawsuits for Damage

Most tires can roll over very small potholes without a problem. But consistent car traffic contributes to the severity of the broken concrete. Rain, snow, salt, and extreme heat can also combine to do additional damage. Before long, the dent is large enough for tires to physically fall inside.

That places your business at risk for angry customers with damaged rims and tires. The last thing you need is more expenses.

Avoiding Lawsuits for Injury

It is true that a pothole can often grow for a while before it is large enough to damage a car. But your customers and employees can trip over holes a lot smaller. Every time someone stumbles they risk serious injury.

Your enterprise is required to provide a certain level of safety for visitors. Bodily harm due to uneven, broken pavement can damage your reputation and cost your business money.

The Weather Is Right

Weather extremes can be a big problem for your concrete. The summer heat causes your concrete to expand and buckle. This buckling effect is one cause of initial lot damage. Cracks often form where the concrete is unable to expand further.

Winter’s cold weather can have the opposite impact, although not to the same extent. Winter also adds salt and water erosion, which can make the holes worse.

Autumn is the perfect time to repair damaged concrete. The weather is more moderate, giving the ground time to settle.

It Makes Good Business Sense

Why take the risk of causing injuries or damaging equipment? Why wait until small holes in the pavement become huge eyesores? You owe it to your investment to keep your property in the best condition. Contact a concrete repair specialist today, while the problem is still manageable.