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blacktop and asphalt facts

DRAINAGE – Make sure that your finished pavement will slope at least 1/4 inch per foot. You must have positive drainage ontop of the blacktop. Water must not be allowed to puddle on top of blacktop. If your driveway is virtually level this is not aproblem. Simply have the contractor install a crown in the driveway. The middle of the driveway will be higher than the edges.That way water will run from the middle to each edge.

SUBGRADE – The subgrade is the soil beneath your driveway. Different soils have widely different strength characteristics. Ifyour soil is a plastic type clay, it can be very weak. It will deform easily when heavy concentrated loads are placed upon it.Check with your local agricultural extension service to see what type of soil you have. Often they have soil maps which tellyou the strength characteristics of your soil. If building a new driveway, you must remove all topsoil.

BASE/FOUNDATION – The base, or foundation of an asphalt driveway is the key to a crack resistant surface. The base and thesoil beneath it do all the work in supporting the loads which will be placed on the driveway. There are two types of bases. Oneis the standard crushed gravel base. This base is placed upon high quality, strong, compacted soils. It often is a minimum of 6inches thick. It can be up to 8 to10 inches in thickness, depending upon the strength of the soil and what type of vehicles willbe on the driveway. You should always build the driveway for the heaviest vehicle which will be placed upon it. For example,suppose you intend to have a fully loaded concrete truck on your driveway. Many of these trucks weigh 36 tons when fullyloaded. Each wheel of the truck could have a 6 to 8 ton load on it!! The footprint of each tire is less than 1 square foot!! Thelittle bit of extra money you spend on the thicker base will be worth it. You can also install an asphalt base. This type of baseis similar to standard blacktop except for one thing. The aggregate (rocks) in the mixture are larger than normal. This largeraggregate gives the asphalt base great strength characteristics. This type of base does not usually have to be installed as thickas a gravel base. It also is a better base to use if your soil is poorly drained or your soil is a heavy clay.

ASPHALT/BLACKTOP – There are different types of mixes of asphalt paving materials. The type and quality of asphalt cementand the size of the aggregate (rocks) account for the differences. The smaller the aggregate, the weaker the finished productwill be. Most people want a very smooth finished surface. This requires the mixture to have smaller aggregate. If this is whatyou want, your installer may have to install two layers of paving material. The first layer will be slightly thicker and have slightlylarger rocks. The finish layer will be thinner (1 to 1 1/4") and have smaller stones and coarse sand. Always make sure that a tackcoat of asphalt is used between layers. This acts as a glue to bond the layers together. A tack coat is not necessary if the secondlayer is applied shortly after the first layer.

If you are repaving an existing driveway, beware of reflection cracks! Reflection cracks are cracks that develop in the newpavement directly above existing cracks in the old pavement. This is a big problem if you install asphalt paving over concrete.The latest technology suggests that a few days after the blacktop is installed, you should consider sawcutting slots in the newblacktop directly above the existing cracks. These sawcuts will be straight and can be filled with a flexible crack sealer.

If repaving, absolutely make sure that all dust and dirt is removed from the old surface. Remove all vegetation from cracksand the edge of the driveway as well. Be sure to fill any low spots with patching material prior to applying the finish layer ofblacktop.

SEALING/MAINTENANCE – Many associations recommend that you seal your new driveway one year after it is installed. Besure to use a high quality commercial bituminous water emulsion sealer. If your drive is on a hill, consider using a sealer whichcontains sand.

Do not seal your driveway every year!!! Sealers are coatings, just like paint. You can easily apply too much and the coatingswill begin to crack and peel. Only reseal the driveway after you can clearly see that the old sealer is wearing. When the colorof the aggregate (rocks) begins to show, it is time to reseal. Because the sealer will wear off faster in the areas where there isfoot and car traffic, apply sealer to the non- traffic areas a little thinner. Otherwise, you will begin to get a buildup of sealerwhich may begin to crack and peel.

benefits of asphalt paving

- THE ECONOMICAL ADVANTAGES OF ASPHALT PAVING

Asphalt is a low-cost building material. It is less expensive, not just in actual cost, but also in terms of the time it takes to complete construction. Asphalt is so quick and easy to use that it saves the public, government and contractors time, and time is money! Asphalt dries so fast that roads and highways will not be blocked or held up for very long.

- DURABILITY OF ASPHALT PAVING

Asphalt is a reliable weather resistant material and can be designed for low and high traffic conditions. It can withstand the harshest of weathers and the heaviest of semi-trailers. Asphalt can also be designed to fit a specific purpose!

- ASPHALT PAVING SAFETY

Asphalt’s safety feature is related to its smooth-like finish. It offers drivers skid resistance, reduced splash back and better visual distinction between road markings. Asphalt also helps keep roads free from ice and snow.

- RECYCLING

Asphalt is a recyclable material, it can be used over and over, and its life-cycle never ends. Asphalt roads can be dug up and then re-used again. This is what makes asphalt such a popular, modern day material. When we use it we are preserving our natural resources, by reusing the same material over again.

This also helps reduce our waste dilemma, it means less material is being turned into waste, and hence, landfill! Asphalt also saves the environment since it will not run into our waterways when it is spilt, as asphalt turns into solid mass quite quickly.

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Doug Kraft at

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Email: sstatewide@centurytel.net