One of the leading causes of pavement damage is moisture.
Understanding how moisture affects asphalt and the damage it causes is important to determine proper maintenance needs. No matter if you are a homeowner with an asphalt driveway or a business owner with a pavement parking lot, understanding this can help you significantly. We’re going to discuss how moisture finds its way into the pavement, what damage it can cause, and how you can prevent asphalt damage.
Pavement Deterioration
When melted snow or rain water seeps through cracks in the pavement and cannot be absorbed into the ground, it will start to eat away at the asphalt. Furthermore, when this water freezes, it will expand and weaken the asphalt. The weight of vehicles rolling over the pavement can cause chunks of it to break away.
- Rainwater seeps into small cracks in the asphalt and puddles between the asphalt layer and the roadbed.
- Low temperatures freeze the water, forcing the asphalt upwards.
- Once the ice thaws, the water is absorbed into the weakened roadbed and leaves behind a cavity. Vehicle traffic breaks the surface apart and pushes it down into the weakened roadbed.
- Larger cracks and potholes are formed when the crumbling asphalt fills the cavity.
Prevent Asphalt Damage
Pavement deterioration can be prevented with pavement preservation. This is a cost-effective set of practices that extend pavement life and improve safety & customer satisfaction. One of the best preservation steps is crack sealing.
Crack sealing is the process of applying filler to seal cracks in asphalt pavement. The hot or cold mixture can eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of water that finds its way into the pavement. By stopping the entrance of water, the rate of deterioration of the road is significantly slowed. Crack sealing also prevents the loss of aggregate from the edges of the crack.
Does your pavement have water damage?
Contact Toste Construction for a FREE estimate. Our team is available to evaluate your parking lot or pavement and provide you with a custom quote for all repairs. We also specialize in sealcoating services to help prevent further damage.
Toste Construction specializes in sealcoating and is your Mooresville asphalt and pavement maintenance company. Our services include asphalt sealcoating, striping, patching, pothole repair and crack filling for both residential and commercial projects throughout western North Carolina.