Road Consultant

What is Road Heat Patching?

 

Heat Patching is a simple process. It is the application of heat into a damaged section of asphalt to remove it. Next, we replace it with new or recycled material and reheat the surrounding road to bond the new asphalt with undamaged sections. That is the easy part but the technique is more complex. For instance, heating the asphalt properly varies based on a number of factors. Always keep note that each layer must be heated individually and cleaned off before the bottom layer can be heated sufficiently to be ready for removal.

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How is crack filling or Seal coating different?

 

Crack sealing is a road repair method in which a sealant is applied to working cracks to prevent water from seeping into the crack. Working cracks are lateral movements in cracks larger than one-tenth an inch. Crack sealants are like rubber and are able to seal the crack while staying flexible enough to withstand the growing and striking of the asphalt and its general movement overall. Sealing is beneficial for active cracks that would continue to extend in size and severity over time if left untreated. Sealants stop water and debris from getting into cracks and causing them to expand. This protects the life and overall longevity of the pavement.

Crack filling, however, is putting asphalt emulsion into non-working cracks to keep water intrusion to a minimum and to reinforce the overall connecting pavement. This method prevents excess damage to the road when it is applied at the appropriate time. Non-working cracks are movements in cracks smaller than one-tenth an inch. So crack filling fixes pavement that doesn’t have any significant movement which is different to crack sealing which treats more active cracks.

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What types of line painting paints are there?

 

To begin with there are basically four types of road marking material. The first is solvent-based. Many solvent-based paints are actually banned and unavailable because of the harmful effects it has on the environment and other concerns. Some complaints about solvent-based paints are not valid in various places in the United States, but be sure to check with one of our knowledgeable pavement marking consultants or the manufacturer before choosing or applying a solvent-based paint product. Even with all this, the main advantage of solvent-based paint is that it has the ability to not freeze. Its use in colder climates and weather comes without issue and is unlike water-based paints which can break down in this type of environment. Oil-based paints are among these and are widely wanted because of their versatility and relatively cheap cost. However, environmental concerns cause many people to choose water-based paints instead because they offer an environmentally cleaner option with easier cleaning and disposal.

 

Next up is water-based paints. These paints are not as harmful to the surrounding ecosystem and have become more popular than solvent-based paints because of that. They are also the cheapest type of paint on the market making the greener option the most affordable. They have the advantage to be able to dry quickly in warmer conditions even if the humidity can affect dry times. Typically, these are the most common paints for line stripers. Water-based paints are used in painting highways, parking lots, and parking garages, especially parking lots that have been sealed with a coal tar product. However, the main disadvantage of water-based paints is that they have a tendency to not survive as well in colder climates. Water-based paint also is one of the least durable products.

 

The third type is pavement marking tapes which are generally used for temporary and permanent pavement markings. On certain roadways, a temporary striping is made using removable tapes. These tapes can be used for construction projects and then taken off once the project is finished. There are also temporary cover-up tapes which are used to go over some lines during a period of construction.m Permanent tapes, however, are also used on roadways and intersections. In colder climates, pavement marking tapes can be put into asphalt while paving to reduce the wear, or they can be placed in a groove after paving which will help reduce damage from snowplows.

 

Lastly, there is a thermoplastic tape. This pavement marking material is normally found on highways and it normally contains plastic. Thermoplastic pavement markings can be applied in various ways, such as preformed, extruded, ribbon, and spray. Some states require a specific type of application and may not permit certain others.
 

How do you normally resurface a roadway?

 

Hot mix asphalt or HMA is a mixture of different sizes of aggregate which is held together with asphaltic cement.  Hot mix asphalt is laid with a paving machine that has electronic and manual controls that can put it at the proper grades and depths. One of the most commonly used hot mix asphalt can cost anywhere from $60,000 to $90,000 per lane mile depending on location and whether existing asphalt needs to be removed first.
 

Should I use pavement preservation methods?

 

When used properly and what is often only a fraction of the cost, pavement preservation methods extend the roadway life. An analysis of any roadway’s condition indicates when the use of a preservation treatment would be the most cost-effective means of protecting the life of the roadway. Thus it is natural to expect that the further a road is permitted to deteriorate, the more expensive the repair will be. Overall costs are significantly reduced when pavement preservation programs are put into place when considering the lifespan of the road.

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What are all the types of pavement preservation methods?

 

Most treatments that are available for use on roadways are described within the Departmental Standard Operating Guidelines for Resurfacing. Some examples are traditional hot mix overlays, longitudinal joint stabilization, remove and replace treatments, thin lift asphalt, crack sealing, fog sealing, and microsurface. The lower impact treatments which will have a lower cost but also higher return on investment are the most considered pavement preservation treatments for reasons that are apparent. An example of this would be microsurface, which costs approximately $21,000 per lane mile and costs about a third as much as a traditional 1-1/4” asphalt overlay but it still lasts 58% as long.

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Are there ways to recycle any of the material generated from “milling” projects, or when old asphalt is removed before paving?

 

There are programs for recycling or reusing old asphalt millings into new asphalt mixtures. This reused material, also known as recycled asphalt pavement is permitted in new mixtures at ratios up to 35% by mass. The limits for recycled pavement are maintained by individual contractors but it should be such that excessive amounts of recycled asphalt do not make it into the final road. Too much in asphalt mixtures will cause it to fail too quickly and will need to be repaired way earlier. In recent years, it has also been explored for the use of in-place recycling methods such as Hot In-Place recycling. This is where 100% of the material on the road is reused in place by using heat and material additives. These techniques utilize 100% of reused materials and will minimize the need for hauling materials to and from projects.