Analyzing the Steps That Go Into Installation of Asphalt Pavement

Almost everyone who travel by road to work daily has seen a huge roller flattening a road inside the boundaries of a yellow ‘Men at Work” sign. While most of us ignore it outright barring an occasional mutter about how inconvenient it is for passersby, the reality is that a lot of precise hard work goes into making such smooth pavements.

If you are one of those interested in how pavements are built, here is a general outline of the steps followed by professional asphalt paving contractors:

Step 1: Readying the Surface

This step includes removing any unwanted materials on the road surface, sometimes even removing existing old asphalt, as needed. It is done using heavy machine tools, with all the debris being collected and transported away using dump trucks.

Step 2: Preparing Drainage System

Water is responsible for more than a third of the total damage sustained by an asphalt pavement in its lifetime, hence proper drainage is necessary. Precise tools are used to create slopes on the surface for aiding in quicker runoff in case of water accumulation during heavy rains.

Step 3: Installation of Base Layer

After appropriate sloping is done, a base layer is installed on the surface, This layer acts as a stability layer for the upper layer which is installed later, and is responsible for providing rigidity and strength to bear heavy, constant loads. This layer is further compacted to make it smooth, with layered inspections for checking and identifying any irregularities before the installation of top layer.

Step 4: Installation of Asphalt

The next step is pouring hot asphalt evenly on the base layer. Before asphalt is poured, most asphalt paving contractors lay out an additional binding layer to bind the asphalt layer and base layer. The oil used in binding layer also protects the base layer from water damage. Various joints are employed to smoothen out the asphalt transition from old to new surface and ensure proper water runoff.

Step 5: Smoothing and Rolling:

The final step before the road is open for public is compacting and rolling it properly using heavy dozers and roller trucks. This makes the surface smooth and free from any random breakages and exposed aggregate stones.