There has been an abundance of rain this winter season. It was a great holiday season, but now it’s time for a New Year’s resolution: Maintain your asphalt! Left untreated, asphalt pavement will deteriorate rapidly. The asphalt binder that holds the pavement together begins to oxidize and weather soon after installation. Moisture penetrates the asphalt, causing further damage and deterioration to the pavement.
One of the major ways moisture penetrates asphalt is through fatigue cracking. Fatigue cracking occurs in areas subjected to repeated traffic loadings (wheel paths), characteristically with a chicken wire/alligator pattern in later stages. This cracking allows water into the pavement which slowly breaks it down, eventually forming a pothole. Potholes are bowl-shaped holes of various sizes on the pavement surface. The best fix for heavily cracked areas and potholes is to replace that area of asphalt.
Do not wait to fix potholes and other areas with cracking! These areas with damaged asphalt can easily double within a one-year period. When problem areas arise, Walker-Moody can patch and crackfill these areas to extend the life of your pavement. Once moisture is prevented from penetrating the asphalt, it is an ideal time to sealcoat the surface and prevent de-raveling (getting loose rocks all over).
The best fix for fatigue cracking and potholes is a hot asphalt patch. For areas with fatigue cracking you will need to cut the asphalt out. Cut enough so that the hole is about two inches deep. Clean the patch area so that all loose debris is removed. You will have to spray tack coat in the patch area and around the edges. This acts as a glue and binds the hot asphalt to the current surface. Lastly, place the hot asphalt in the hole and compact.
Sometimes, the cracking has not also damaged the asphalt enough to warrant a hot patch. A cheaper solution to remove and replace it is crackfilling, which starts with cleaning the loose debris and making sure it is dry. Apply a hot crack-filler such as CrackMaster PL (flexible parking lot formula) and open the area for vehicular traffic within five minutes.
For a free estimate, contact Walker-Moody Construction, an authorized installer of SealMaster Hawaii. Call 839-2781 to talk with a trained professional. They will come out and review your property, measure the asphalt for accuracy, provide recommendations in a formal proposal and will deliver on-time and on-budget projects. Whether you want a quick-fix or a long-term solution, give these professionals a call because they fix it all. Asphalt maintenance work for Walker-Moody Construction is now approaching nine million square feet.
Call Walker-Moody Construction to receive your free estimate at 839-2781.
CONTACT: 839-2781 • construction@walker-moody.com
WEBSITE: www.walker-moody.com • www.sealmasterhawaii.com
See more articles from: Walker-Moody Construction