FULL DEPTH REPAIR VS. ASPHALT MILLING  

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If your parking lot can qualify for asphalt milling it will be an economical fix!

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Cold Plane Milling/Grinding Machine

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Environmental freezing and thawing cycles, oxidization due to the sun, snow plows, and general wear and tear can damage the top layer of asphalt pavement. This damage is often referred to as alligator cracking. The base course of the asphalt and the sub base of gravel are still unaffected at this point in the life cycle of asphalt. Instead of completely tearing out and replacing these areas, a cold plane diamond tipped asphalt milling/grinding machine allows for economical repair.

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The process begins with a cold plane milling/grinding machine with diamond teeth that break up the pavement but leave the sub base intact, if it is still unaffected. The ground-up asphalt is removed from the work site and recycled at an asphalt manufacturing facility. Next, the areas of the driveway or parking lot that were milled/ground away are sprayed with SS1H tack coat to bond the new asphalt to existing asphalt then all milled/ground areas have a layer of hot mix asphalt applied to level out the surface to proper grade. Finally, 2” of additional hot mix asphalt are applied to the surface and compacted with a vibratory roller.

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The cold plane milling/grinding option has many advantages compared to a standard overlay. An overlay does not address the cracked and alligatored areas of the first layer of pavement. When a simple overlay is completed these unrepaired cracks reflect back up to the surface usually within 12 months. A milling/grinding machine removes these cracked and damaged areas diminishing the onset or result of reflective cracking. If left untreated the cracks in the first layer of pavement will allow water to penetrate and erode the base layer of pavement, leaving a complete tear out and total replacement as the only viable option.

Aside from being an environmentally-friendly process, asphalt milling can also be more cost effective than the rip out and replace method of road repair. Consumers save money as there is less trucking involved when only removing partial pavement, less man hours to complete the job, and less hot mix asphalt is required to restore the condition of the parking lot or residential driveway. This economical repair extends the life of the treated pavement for 8+ years unlike patching or overlays which may begin to fail as soon as year one.

Milling/grinding the first layer of damaged pavement saves money compared to complete removal and replacement. Other benefits of milling/grinding include:

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• Extends life of pavement for 8+ years compared to 1-2 years with overlayment or patching

• Leaves a level surface with no raised asphalt edges that can be caught up and ripped away by snow plow blades

• Saves the base course of asphalt from further damage

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Full Depth Asphalt Replacement

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When the structural integrity of the current surface is insufficient to accept an Asphalt Overlay, a Full Depth Asphalt Replacement may be required. The current asphalt could have deteriorated as a result of many factors. Deferred maintenance, soft sub-base, inadequate asphalt thickness, heavy traffic, poor drainage, excessive moisture or just being worn out from age can all play a significant role in the failure of your asphalt pavement. A full replacement allows us to address the cause of the current failure and place new asphalt that meets the needs of the paved environment. The area may need more stone, drainage more fall etc. 

 

Let our network of estimators give you hand and help you make a smart investment!

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