Advantages of Using Asphalt for Paving

Asphalt pavement is famous for its resilience and durability. It is this strength which makes asphalt pavement the top choice for most all paved surfaces. Most federal and state governments highly favour asphalt pavement because of its lasting life and reliability. If it is rightly laid, it needs not to be changed for 20 to 25 years. Asphalt pavement is also the most vital choice for applications such as parking lots, driveways, airstrips, roadways, and more.

What is asphalt made of?

Asphalt is generally made of gravel, stone, and sand, with a little amount of asphalt cement to bind them together. Most of the asphalt we use today is processed from petroleum. Anyway, asphalt can still be found by itself in nature. When an oil refinery gets petroleum, they divide it into various layers based on weight.

Once asphalt has been separated, it must be replaced in order to get the best consistency for asphalt paving. Asphalt goes via different processes depending on whether it is meant for cold or hot mix. Like the name advises, hot-mix asphalt is made by warming asphalt to a temperature between 200 and 340 Degrees Fahrenheit and mixing it.

The high heat makes asphalt more fluid and evaporates any remaining moisture. Hot-mix asphalt must then be kept warm so it can be rightly installed and compacted. Since hot-mix asphalt needs to be installed hot white, it is suitable for summer paving projects.

Cold-mix asphalt is kept soft because it is made of proprietary oil and quarter inch chips. Since cold-mix asphalt is capable of repelling water, it can be installed effectively in wet weather. Cold-mix asphalt also does not need to be kept warm to repair asphalt cracks and potholes.

Here are the key reasons why asphalt may be the top choice for your paving needs.

Asphalt is affordable

When you are in the market for a new driveway, there is a best chance that you will find yourself trying to decide between asphalt and concrete. While both materials have their advantages, if you are worried about staying within your budget, asphalt is generally the way to go. The specific cost of installing an asphalt driveway depends on lots of factors. These contain your geographic area, the present market for the necessary materials and how much preparation work must be performed on your property before the asphalt can be laid.

Asphalt lasts for years

When rightly cared for, you can count on your asphalt driveway to be an investment that will serve you well for years to come. The common lifespan of an asphalt driveway is about 20 years.

The maintenance needed to get this type of lifespan out of your driveway is minimal. You may want to sealcoat the asphalt every 1 to 2 years and fill cracks as required. Resurfacing may need to happen every 5 years or so.

One amazing thing to note about asphalt is that, even after you get rid of old asphalt from your driveway, it can continue to live on. Actually, almost a hundred million tons of asphalt are recycled in America every year. Recycled asphalt can be used for roads, driveways, and other surfaces.

Safety

It is one of the best options accessible which will decrease potholes and other road damage that could cause vehicle accidents or damage. Since asphalt is generally black in color, it gives a high contrast between the road markers and asphalt itself. This permits a powerful visibility for drivers in inclement weather situations such as snow or heavy rain. The black color also absorbs the sun rays causing the heat to stay on the surface, thus melting ice and snow much faster than other surfaces, such as concrete. This results in safer driving situations during the icy winter months.

Earth friendly

Recycling of this material saves the environment by decreasing quarrying, oil use and mining. Recycling needs consumption of machinery, fuel, transportation and labor as well as protecting the scarce natural resources of asphalt and aggregate. Finally this keeps many millions of tons of collected material out of our landfills.

Another earth-friendly advantage of asphalt paving is that it needs twenty percent less power to install asphalt paving matched to other paving materials. Because asphalt is valuable to vehicle efficiency, it lowers the potential impact on the atmosphere. Less friction means improved longevity for the road, decreased vehicle maintenance costs, improvements to fuel economy, lessened carbon dioxide emissions, and improvement to fuel economy.

Easy maintenance

Easy maintenance is another best benefit to paving with asphalt. Repairs are fast and road cracks can be simply repaired without too much interruption of traffic or other regular activity. Regular maintenance includes a monthly visual check by the property owner to ensure there are no holes or cracks.

Easy repairs

Asphalt is easy and fast to repair when you have the right equipment for the job. By resealing roads and maintaining cracks, highway and driveways regularly, big degradation can be delayed. Eventually, the pavement will need to be changed entirely, but right maintenance can extend the life of your asphalt for several years.

Sustainability

Sustainability is vital to many people. One best thing about asphalt is that it is recyclable; it can be used again and again. When the road repaving you can just dig it up and re-use it. This is one of the best reasons that asphalt is so famous for meeting paving needs.

Contact us for paving

Asphalt is safe, affordable, environmentally friendly, simple to maintain and more.

At Blackjacket paving, we are provided to give amazing standard paving services for commercial and residential customers in Victoria BC. You can trust us to get the work done to your relaxation. We trust in what we do, our industry, and contributing to solutions, atmosphere, and supporting our local communities with best service.

Call us for a free consultation to talk about the advantages of asphalt paving and help you decide if it is the best solution for your situation. We will give a free quote on any commercial or residential paving product. We are happy to help businesses and homeowners find the best solution to fit their pavement needs.