How to Prepare Your Pavement for Heavy Traffic Loads

While thin layers of asphalt or concrete are often perfectly fine if only pedestrians and bicyclists will travel on top of it, most surface lots around central Texas need to be prepared to handle much heavier loads. As many people learn the hard way, though, designing and building pavement that stands up well to this sort of treatment can be much easier said than done, especially if you have relatively little experience with installing and maintaining this sort of surface.

You have help available from Integrity Paving & Coatings to get this work done right the first time and get you a long-lasting lot. In the meantime, though, here is a basic rundown of how to prepare your pavement for heavy traffic loads, both during the initial construction process and for years or even decades after that process concludes.

Preparing Subgrade Layers Before Laying Down Pavement

In general, thicker layers of surface asphalt will hold up better to heavy traffic loads than thinner layers. But for the most part, the durability of an asphalt lot comes down to how well-constructed and sturdy the foundation underneath that asphalt is. First, you’ll generally want to go above and beyond to ensure the area you’ll be paving over doesn’t have any serious structural problems, even if that means digging out several inches of subpar soil and replacing it with leveled and contoured aggregate material.

You’ll also often want to place fabric or similar material as a base layer underneath the aggregate material for additional stability, especially for places like parking lots that may have multi-ton vehicles sitting in one place for long stretches of time. Finally, it is vital to ensure that these underlying layers will drain properly in the event of rain or some other inclement weather, as well as if something like gasoline or motor oil spills on top of the uppermost asphalt layer.

Maintaining Heavy-Traffic Pavement After Installation

Making sure your pavement is structurally prepared for heavy traffic loads is just half the battle. In addition to applying a layer of seal coat overtop of your lot after it’s dried and set into place, it’s generally a good idea to get a fresh layer of seal coat put down every few years to prevent oil, grease, water, and debris from penetrating down to the subgrade layer and causing damage that’s hard to repair.

It’s also a good idea to inspect your lot regularly, proactively clean up oil stains, and clear out natural debris like sticks and leaves. Finally, while wide or long cracks are generally best left to a professional to fix, you can increase your lot’s longevity and help it stand up to heavy traffic loads by filling in small cracks and potholes yourself before they get big enough to be a serious problem.

Integrity Paving & Coatings Can Help Prepare Your Pavement for Heavy Traffic Loads

Preparing pavement for heavy traffic loads is a process that never really stops for the entire useful lifespan of the lot, and it’s more than understandable to be worried about how to manage that on your own. Fortunately, you don’t have to manage it alone if you seek help from capable local experts with a track record of providing honest, fast, and high-quality service to people like you in Austin and all over central Texas.

At Integrity Paving & Coatings, we treat all our customers as partners rather than just financial transactions, and we pride ourselves on being the absolute best provider for all the services we offer. Call today to discuss your options and get a free quote.