Paving Contractors
Asphalt Paving - Concrete Paving - Asphalt Repair
Napa Valley, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA

(vehicular or foot traffic). Such surfaces are frequently marked to guide traffic. The most common modern paving methods are asphalt and concrete.

Asphalt Paving has been widely used since 1920, though in ancient times asphalt was already used for road-building. Most asphalt pavements are built on a gravel base which is generally at least as thick as the asphalt layer, although some 'full depth' pavements are built directly on the native subgrade. In areas with very soft or expansive subgrades such as clay or peat, thick gravel bases or stabilization of the subgrade with Portland cement or lime can be required. In some countries with soft soils, a foundation of polystyrene blocks is used instead. The actual material used in paving asphalt paving by contractors is termed HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt), and it is usually applied using a free floating screed.

Asphalt paving is also used in driveway construction such as paving driveways, commercial paving, parking lot paving.

Advantages of asphalt roadways include relatively low noise, relatively low cost compared with other paving methods, and ease of repair. Disadvantages include less durability than other paving methods, less tensile strength than concrete, the tendency to become slick and soft in hot weather and a certain amount of hydrocarbon pollution to soil and groundwater or waterways.

Also See:

Asphalt Paving, Sealcoating and Products

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