Speed of Construction
Paving with asphalt cuts construction project time significantly and eliminates the long curing times of concrete.
As a result, traffic flows more smoothly, impact on commerce is minimized, and safety hazards are reduced.
How it works
Asphalt paving projects can be planned and carried out to take advantage of low-traffic periods, like nights and weekends, minimizing the project’s impact on motorists, residences and businesses.
In one state highway department comparison, asphalt crews placed more than 10 times the pavement surface that a concrete contractor did. The asphalt was placed in 11 nighttime-only shifts, while the concrete work went on around the clock for 12 days.
Major advantages
Asphalt is ready for traffic right after it is compacted and cooled, meaning that roads don’t have to remain closed for curing. This enhances traffic flow and minimizes closures and delays that frustrate motorists and cost money. Impacts on businesses are dramatically reduced when roadwork is completed rapidly.
Stealth contractors
Asphalt work can be planned so that the crews work in off-peak periods only. This means that folks may drive home from work on a Tuesday night, then find a brand-new, smooth pavement when they drive to work Wednesday morning – and they’ve never even seen an orange barrel! Only with asphalt can a “stealth contractor” give the traveling public a great new pavement, literally overnight.
Fact #56
Routine maintenance is simply a matter of periodically milling (about every 15 to 20 years) the surface for recycling, followed by placement of a smooth new overlay.
Fact #78
When a perpetual pavement needs rehabilitation, road crews mill off the top layer for recycling, then put a new surface on the road.
Everything can be done overnight, without inconveniencing commuters. Asphalt work can be planned so that the crews work in off-peak periods only. This means that folks may drive home from work on a Tuesday night, then find a brand-new, smooth pavement when they drive to work Wednesday morning – and they’ve never even seen an orange barrel! Only with asphalt can a “stealth contractor” give the traveling public a great new pavement, literally overnight.