Asphalt Your Best Value
What is Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement?
Asphalt pavement refers to any paved road surfaced with asphalt. Asphalt Pavement is a combination of approximately 95% stone, sand, or gravel bound together by asphalt cement, a product of crude oil. Asphalt cement is heated aggregate, combined, and mixed with the aggregate at an Asphalt Pavement facility. The resulting Asphalt Pavement is loaded into trucks for transport to the paving site. The trucks dump the Asphalt Pavement into hoppers located at the front of paving machines. The asphalt is placed, and then compacted using a heavy roller, which is driven over the asphalt. Traffic is generally permitted on the pavement as soon as the pavement has cooled.
HMA Ultra-Thin
HMA Ultra-Thin offers a simple, cost effective way to maintain roads and streets, as it protects your investment in them. A asphalt pavement treatment designed specifically for thin lift (3/4 inch) placement, HMA Ultra-Thin was developed for structurally sound pavements that are showing signs of aging, oxidation or minor surface disintegration. You end up with a stronger, more beautiful pavement that improves the ride quality for drivers and reduces traffic noise for the community.
Perpetual Pavement
Combining the well-documented smoothness and safety advantages of asphalt with an advanced, multi-layer pavement design process... Perpetual Pavement combines the well-documented smoothness and safety advantages of asphalt with an advanced, multi-layer pavement design process, that with routine maintenance, extends the useful life of a roadway to half a century or more. Pavements designed and constructed in accordance with the Perpetual Pavement concept will last, and last, and last.
Rubbilzation
Rubblization is a proven construction technique that turns a deteriorated concrete road into the base for a smooth, safe, quiet, durable pavement constructed of Asphalt Pavement. It minimizes delays for motorists and allows for construction during "off-peak" hours. Rubblization with an asphalt overlay is a very cost effective rehabilitation method.
Life Cycle Cost
For the initial construction and over the long haul, asphalt pavement saves money on construction and maintenance. That’s the conclusion of highway engineers and departments of transportation across the country. The “life-cycle costs”—money spent on road construction and maintenance over its lifetime—are significantly lower with Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) than with concrete.
Drivability
The national survey found that drivers prefer well-maintained, safe, and smooth roadways; moreover they understand these qualities require periodic maintenance and financial investment.
Smoothness Matters
What does the traveling public care about? - Smooth Roads.
A national survey of motorists funded by the Federal Highway Administration showed that a smooth ride is the top priority of the traveling public.
The traveling public may be less aware, however, that smooth roads also save them money. Roughness has an adverse effect on vehicle operating costs such as fuel and oil consumption, tire wear, maintenance, and depreciation.
Asphalt will consistently give the driving public the smooth, quiet ride they have come to expect. Smooth pavements save fuel, save vehicle operating costs, and last longer. Asphalt pavements are smoother and are easier to keep smoother than concrete pavements. Click here to read more about how smoothness matters
Thin HMA Overlays - Your Cost-Effective Solution
Thin HMA overlays, 1 ½" or less, are the cost effective solution for pavement preservation primarily because of their ability to:
· Provide improved ride quality,
· Reduce surface distresses,
· Maintain surface geometrics,
· Reduce noise levels,
· Reduce life cycle costs, and
· Provide long-lasting service.
Thin HMA overlays should be placed before the pavement deterioration has reached a critical stage where more extensive rehabilitation is required. This will maximize your performance and yield a more cost-effective solution for your pavement.
Thin HMA overlays can be expected to provide 10 years or more on existing asphalt surfaces.
In 2008, Chou1 and his colleagues found that in almost all cases, a thin asphalt overlay on an asphalt pavement was the most economical solution. He reported that thin overlays of concrete were not as cost effective, possibly due to increased deterioration of the underlying pavement.
Also, in 2008, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) surveyed the state asphalt associations concerning the cost and effectiveness of various pavement preservation treatments. Thin HMA overlays had a longer expected life than the other treatments although the cost was higher. However, when that was divided over the expected life, the thin HMA overlay option was the most cost efficient as shown in the graph below.
1. Chou et. al., "Effectiveness of Thin Hot Mix Overlay on Pavement Ride and Condition Performance," for the Ohio Department of Transportation, 2008.
For more information on Thin HMA Overlays, click here.
Testimonials:
Asphalt Pavement - Right Choice for Miller Road
For both the short term and the long haul, asphalt pavement saves money on construction and maintenance.
Miller Road is a very busy Genesee County road that runs through the highly commercialized west end of Flint. John Daly, Genesee County Manager-Director stated “The Miller Road concrete was way beyond its useful life and was in terrible shape. The road had been widened in piecemeal fashion since 1926 and was last resurfaced in 1989.”
“We considered several pavement types and chose asphalt pavement because it allows flexibility in construction and maintenance activities, thus minimizing the impact on motorist and businesses in this corridor that supports more concentrated traffic and vital economic activity than any other in Genesee County. Concrete construction would have required closing access to merchant driveways for three to seven days at a time.”
That’s the conclusion of highway engineers and departments of transportation across the country. The “life-cycle costs”—money spent on road construction and maintenance over its lifetime—are significantly lower with Asphalt Pavement than with concrete.
“The new asphalt pavement roadway has been specifically designed for the expected traffic and is equivalent to its concrete counterpart. It should last at least 20 years with routine maintenance. When maintenance is necessary in the future, it will be much less disruptive than concrete repair would be.”
Asphalt Pavements are YOUR Best Value: For Roadways, Parking Lots, Airfields, Industrial and Recreational facilities.
Surveys conducted by the Federal Highway Administration leave little doubt about what their customers, the motoring public, expect in their roadways. They want: smooth, safe, long lasting pavements in good condition, a rapid response when problems do arise, with the least amount of disruption when routine maintenance, rehabilitation and emergency repairs are necessary. All of these expectations are best met using asphalt pavements. And, it is the reason why 94 percent of the paved roads in the United States are surfaced with Hot Mix Asphalt.
Asphalt Pavements are economical, smooth, safe, quiet, constructed quickly, environmentally friendly, 100% recyclable, versatile, lend themselves to stage construction and are easy to maintain.
For further information, Click here to view HMA – Your Best Value presentation:
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Low life-cycle cost by avoiding deep pavement repairs or reconstruction,
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Low user-delay costs since minor surface rehabilitation of asphalt pavements only requires short work windows that can avoid peak traffic hours, and
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Low environmental impact by reducing the amount of material resources over the pavement’s life and recycling any materials removed from the pavement surface.
Asphalt Driveways
A Consumer's Guide
Inviting, Attractive
The appearance of your driveway creates an impression about your home and way of life. An inviting driveway provides a focal point as passersby and visitors approach your home. And certainly an attractive driveway, one with “curb appeal,” adds value to your home investment. So it is worthwhile to plan your driveway carefully. With Asphalt Pavement as your material—and some attention to design and construction—your driveway will provide years of lasting service and an excellent return on the investment.
