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.

Why Does New Construction Need Asphalt Paving?

First off, what is asphalt? Asphalt is an aggregate of gravel, stone, sand, and other materials bound together by asphalt cement. According to the experts of The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), along with many others, there are a number of qualities of asphalt which make seeing your asphalt contractor the best choice for new construction of all types.

Durability

The smoothness of the surface helps give a roadway a longer life span, because it reduces friction from the tires that roll across it. It also makes asphalt a more efficient material to pave with, because it needs replacement less often. If properly maintained, an asphalt surface can last 25 years or longer.

Ease of Repair

While asphalt lasts a very long time, when it does need replacement or repair, that repair is comparatively easy and quick to do. For example, roadways can be paved a lane at a time by the asphalt contractor, reducing inconvenience to drivers and saving money for taxpayers.

Safety

Asphalt produces a smooth, even surface for activities such as driving. This, along with these other factors, make it the surface of first choice for roadways, parking lots, paved paths, driveways, and many other applications. The smooth surface gives better traction and contact for tires of all sorts, making it safer to drive on.

Recyclable

Asphalt is the perfect “green” paving material choice for use by the asphalt contractor. It is 100% recyclable and reusable. NAPA estimates that 100 million tons of asphalt are recycled or reused each year. And since much of asphalt used is reclaimed, that means the cost is less susceptible to market fluctuations.

Environmentally Friendly

The combination of recyclability and permanence as a resource makes asphalt paving one of the most environmentally friendly products there is. Another statistic from the NAPA: The asphalt emissions since 1970 have decreased by 97%, while asphalt production, during the same period, has increased by 250%. The smoothness of the surface reduces automobile emissions as well. Porous asphalt is often used for stormwater management. Asphalt is also utilized to line and cap landfills.

Economical

Almost all of the factors listed above mean that asphalt paving is a more economical substance to pave roadways, driveways, parking lots, or any other area where a smooth surface is desired. Asphalt lasts longer, so is replaced less often. This makes it less expensive. When it is replaced, the fact that much of it is often made from recyclable materials makes it less susceptible to current market conditions.

The Best Surface

To sum it all up, numerous qualities of asphalt paving make it the best surface for roadways, driveways, parking lots, and almost any other paved area. Certainly, the fact that it is economical should interest anybody who is planning any type of paving job. So should its durability, which figures into it being cost efficient as well. Also, there’s the fact that asphalt simply makes a great surface for vehicles to drive on. Its smoothness produces better gas mileage and your tires make better contact, which means it’s safer. And, not only does asphalt need repair less often than other materials, it is easy, inexpensive, and convenient to repair when the need does arise. Asphalt is also usually 100% recyclable. All these advantages mean your asphalt contractor can do the job better than anyone else, usually at lower cost, and it’s beneficial for the planet as well.