When it is the middle of winter, we know that the last thing you’re probably thinking about is how the snow is having an effect on your asphalt pavement. Even though the ground is covered in ice, there’s still a lot happening with your asphalt driveway or asphalt parking lot beneath the surface. The Cassidy Paving team is your New England area experts on all things industrial, commercial, and residential paving. We want to help our customers understand what’s happening to their blacktop and subsurfaces in the winter so that we can better prepare for harsh winter weather and have a plan in place to address any issues that come from it.
What to Expect from Snow on Asphalt
The Freeze-Thaw Cycle
Although you won’t be able to see it at first, there is a lot of movement happening just beneath the top surface of your asphalt when it is covered in snow. Because asphalt pavement is a porous material, it naturally will absorb some amount of precipitation regardless of the temperature and weather conditions. In most cases, this is not enough to cause damage, but when you live in New England, the trapped water will become ice quickly. Many times this ice won’t thaw for weeks or when it does it will freeze again shortly after. This much movement in the subsurface can cause rippling, cracks, and potholes to appear on the surface. Oftentimes, you won’t notice these until after the weather is consistently warm. We see a lot of repair requests in the springtime for our customers for this reason. Fortunately, you can always plan ahead by scheduling an estimate in the winter so you can expedite service come spring.
Keeping Ice Under Control
The recommendations for our residential customers for keeping the ice on their pavement under control will be a little bit different than our process for industrial and commercial clients. When you are a homeowner, the brunt of the responsibility for maintaining your asphalt driveway paving will be on you during the winter. Our experts recommend that you properly remove snow from your driveway with either a plastic edged shovel or a snowblower. There are also options to deice your asphalt driveway with salt and it is recommended to apply it prior to the first freeze. For our business owners, we offer professional snow plowing services to help you keep your parking lot in a safe condition throughout the winter. When you work with commercial snow removal, you are safeguarding your asphalt paving investment.
Planning Repairs
Even if your asphalt parking lot or driveway has had the worst outcomes from snow and ice, it is never too early to start planning for your next pavement repair. You can give us a call at any point in the year to complete an inspection. An early inspection and estimate only mean that once the ground temperatures warm above freezing, you will have expedited asphalt services. Booking services now will keep you ahead of the warm weather rush and get your asphalt pavement repaired before the problems become more complicated.
Hire the Pros
Give Cassidy Paving a call today at 866-978-9788 for a free estimate on asphalt repair services or to inquire about snow shoveling services. We offer our extensive services throughout New England and with our full-depth construction guarantee, you can rest assured that you’re making the smart asphalt paving choice.