Whether you plan to construct a driveway, parking lot, or street, you will have questions for your asphalt paving contractor. How long will the new pavement take to construct? When will you be able to start using it? How much will the project cost? You will probably also be very interested in learning what the life expectancy for your new pavement will be. Unfortunately, due to the number of factors involved, estimating the life expectancy for a new asphalt pavement can be a little complicated.
What Factors Affect the Life Expectancy of Asphalt Paving?
The quality of the construction is an important factor in the life of an asphalt pavement. For example, if the asphalt paving company fails to achieve proper compaction, the life of the pavement can be reduced. Assuming that a Bristol paving company installs the pavement correctly, there are two critical factors that can affect the pavement’s life expectancy.
1. What type of traffic will the pavement bear? That is, how many vehicles will use the pavement, and are they heavyweight trucks, passenger cars, or a combination of both?
2. What type of attention will the pavement receive? After construction, an asphalt pavement will need a few paving services to help ensure a long life. Prompt repairs and routine maintenance are critical if the pavement is to last.
If you consider the impact that the above factors can have on the life of an asphalt pavement, it is only logical to conclude that paving contractors must estimate the minimum and maximum life expectancies for different types of pavements.
What Is the Life Expectancy of Asphalt Paving When Used for Residential Driveways?
Residential paving typically lasts longer than commercial or roadway paving. An asphalt driveway usually supports fewer and lighter vehicles than a street or parking lot. Unless clients tell paving contractors that a driveway will be used for parking RVs, boats, or other heavy loads, the pavement will not be engineered to support them. If the driveway is not overloaded or abused, is given routine maintenance, and receives timely repairs, it should have a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years.
What Is the Estimated Life Expectancy of Commercial Asphalt Pavements?
When discussing commercial paving services, an asphalt paving company may include parking lots, access drives, and overlays. In addition to the factors already discussed, the turnover rate can also influence the pavement’s life expectancy. Assuming the pavement is given proper maintenance and repairs, Bristol paving professionals normally use the following estimates.
1. If the asphalt pavement supports only passenger vehicles, has a low-to-medium turnover rate, and an average traffic volume, the pavement could last 25 years or more.
2. If the pavement has an extremely high turnover rate, supports an unusually high number of vehicles, or is used by both heavy trucks and passenger vehicles, the life expectancy is normally estimated at approximately 15 years.
3. If the pavement in question has received an asphalt overlay, the estimated life will be between 10 and 15 years.
4. If the asphalt pavement does not receive any preventive maintenance or timely repairs, it will have a life expectancy that is about half of the above estimates.
How Long Do Paving Contractors Expect Asphalt Roadways to Last?
An asphalt paving company will consider the same factors for roadways as for commercial pavements, including the weight and number of the vehicles.
1. Urban streets have life expectancies that range between 15 and 25 years. The lower number is for busy thoroughfares that support all weights of vehicles. The higher number is for neighborhood streets that receive light traffic or prohibit heavyweight trucks.
2. Lightly traveled rural highways and roads usually have a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. However, a typical highway will normally have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years. A busy interstate or high-traffic highway will have an estimated life of 10 to 15 years.
Tri-State Asphalt Paving offers a pavement-related services from our headquarters in Bristol. Our paving services include asphalt driveway and parking lot paving, asphalt resurfacing and paving, parking lot maintenance, asphalt sealcoating, and concrete installation. We have an exemplary reputation for delivering exceptional work and extraordinary service at highly competitive rates. If you would like to request a free quote, call 276-494-1406 or 276-451-1895, submit our online form, or email Admin@TriStateAsphaltVA.com.