The pavement that surrounds multi-use buildings must contend with the wear and tear that arises from significant foot traffic and vehicle use. The more businesses that share a single parking lot, the quicker it will deteriorate. As such, your paved surfaces will likely need some attention in the coming months, especially after undergoing the damage a New England winter can incur. Let’s explore some of the pavement repairs to look for outside your multi-use office building this spring.
What to Know About Pavement Repairs
Crack Repairs
Cracks of all shapes and sizes make up the most common commercial parking lot repair projects in the spring. These fractures form as the ground beneath the asphalt shifts and temperatures fluctuate. Winter’s freeze-thaw cycle exacerbates these cracks, which is why they’re so noticeable this time of year. While minor cracks aren’t major concerns, they can quickly grow and become hazardous as moisture, dirt, and other materials make their way inside and do more damage. Fortunately, filling the various cracks in your pavement is relatively simple and cheap.
Pothole Repair
Potholes are another common feature found on roads, driveways, and parking lots, especially after a rough winter. Worse than merely eyesores, potholes can result in slips, trips, and falls, not to mention their tendency to damage tires that can’t avoid them. A commercial parking lot can become a real mess if these craters aren’t dealt with early in the season, so keep your eye out for holes of all shapes and sizes.
Overlay/Resurfacing
The parts of pavement that receive the most traffic will take on the most severe and frequent damage. As such, you’ll often find that cracks and potholes come in groups, lingering in relatively isolated areas (though they can span the entire paved surface, too). Rather than patch these cracks and holes individually, it’s more practical to resurface the whole area in question via overlaying. This commercial paving project is akin to a large patch job that covers a long and/or wide area without going so far as reconstruction or reclamation. In other words, the asphalt base stays put for this repair job.
Reclamation
Reclamation projects, on the other hand, deliver a more comprehensive, invasive approach to pavement repair. A commercial paving company will only deem this type of project necessary if the pavement in question is in serious, deep disrepair. After all, a reclamation job requires pulverizing the outermost asphalt layer and recycling the material to fortify the foundation and prepare it for new pavement. Though more intensive than the other repairs mentioned here, reclamation is not as costly or time-consuming as a full-depth reconstruction, which involves more extensive milling, digging, and grinding.
Line Striping
After you’ve invested in all necessary asphalt repairs for your multi-use office building, it’s worth investing in fresh paint to create new, highly visible lines for parking spaces and other important signage on your parking lot, driveways, etc. For one thing, much of this paint may have faded away after the harsh winter conditions – for another, any job that involves resurfacing will conceal any previous line striping. Clear lines will help you organize your multi-use, multi-business parking lot and prevent accidents.
Spring is just around the corner, making it the perfect time to contact Cassidy Paving for your upcoming commercial paving and repair needs. Call us today at 866-978-9788 to receive a free estimate on your next asphalt project.
