How To Protect Your Asphalt Parking Lot From Extreme Traffic

Asphalt paving is perfect for a wide range of pavements, including parking lots. An asphalt parking lot is aesthetically pleasing, fast to construct, and much more economical than other paving materials. It can also have a long, healthy life if you provide it with the necessary care. Throughout its life, your parking lot will need a little attention to protect it from forces that can damage it. Potentially damaging forces include the sun, water, vehicle fluids, and traffic. The type of care your parking lot needs can change over time. Therefore, you want to ensure that the services you receive reflect any possible changes. Furthermore, there are some protective measures that you can take without requesting assistance from your contractor.

What Services Does a New Asphalt Parking Lot Need?

For the first three or four years, your parking lot may not need any type of asphalt repair if you treat it gently.

1. Your paving contractor will tell you how long to wait before you open your pavement. Do not allow vehicles on your new parking lot prior to that time. In most cases, you will only need to wait 24 to 48 hours.
2. Sealcoating parking lots can help them have a longer life, require fewer repairs, and look more attractive. However, you cannot sealcoat before the asphalt reaches a certain point in the curing process, which normally takes about three months. During this time, your pavement is more vulnerable. Promptly clean up any automotive fluids that leak onto your pavement, and be fastidious about removing debris.
3. You can go ahead with your parking lot striping as soon as the day after your contractor finishes installing your pavement. However, bear in mind that you will need to repaint your lines and markings after you sealcoat.
4. Keep a very close eye on your pavement. It is highly unlikely that you will need any sort of parking lot repair. However, if you do see cracks or other indications of pavement distress, call your parking lot maintenance company immediately. Early damage could indicate an installation error, a previously undetected subterranean issue, or a defective mix.
5. Do your best to ensure that drivers do not abuse your parking lot. Enforce speed limits, forbid stunt driving, and discourage hard stops and starts.
6. Your contractor based your pavement design on the average number of vehicles your lot will accommodate on a typical day. The design also estimated the total weight of all the different types of vehicles. If you requested a parking lot solely for passenger vehicles, do not allow 18-wheelers or heavy motorized equipment to enter.

What Services Does an Asphalt Parking Lot Need After Its First Year or So?

Before your parking lot is 12 months old, have your paving maintenance contractor apply an initial sealcoating. You will then need fresh sealcoating applications about every two years. You should also budget for the following services.

1. Call your parking lot repair contractor to seal or fill any significant cracks. Typically, paving maintenance contractors define significant cracks as those measuring more than about a quarter of an inch in width. Most contractors repair cracks when sealcoating parking lots. However, it is best to have your contractor find and repair any cracks every six months.
2. If you notice that water is backing up around grates or overflowing gutters, check for clogs. Many times, you can solve the problem yourself. If you cannot, call your contractor for assistance.
3. If a pothole develops, call your paving maintenance contractor to request an asphalt repair as soon as possible. Potholes pose a threat to the health of your pavement, but they also pose a hazard to pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists.
4. As your pavement ages, do not reduce your efforts to keep your parking lot clean. Remove puddles of transmission fluid, diesel, oil, gas, and other chemicals every six months or so. Sweep your parking lot as often as needed to keep it free from piles of dead leaves, trash, or sand.

If you have additional questions about safeguarding your asphalt pavement, contact Asphalt Care Services. We have the expertise and capability to handle projects of all sizes. Our services include thermoplastic line striping, parking lot maintenance, traffic signage, asphalt paving, sealcoating, asphalt repairs, speed bump installation, parking lot striping, and concrete bumpers. We have a reputation for consistently delivering superior work and exemplary service with professionalism and integrity. We offer free job quotes with no strings attached, so request yours today by submitting our online form. If you prefer, you can call us at 772-888-2840, or you can send an email to [email protected].