Deciding Between Asphalt Paving & Concrete

This article is for anyone who’s thinking about paving a parking area, driveway, or road.

Concrete was once the preferred method to pave roads and parking lots. Asphalt paving is today the preferred choice.

Let’s see how concrete is made and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

Concrete is made up of cement, water, crushed rock and sand. When the mixture dries cement binds concrete and holds it together. Concrete is a tough and hardy solid once it’s set. Concrete can crack and fracture if the concrete surface underneath is not perfect.

Aggregate can also be used to make asphalt. Bitumen is an oil-derived dark, sticky substance that can be used to binder asphalt. To make a parking lot or driveway, hot asphalt must be poured on top of a layer heavier aggregate. After that, it is pressed into the concrete with a steamroller. Asphalt is strong enough that it can withstand the traffic of automobiles once it has cooled. Asphalt is extremely durable and hard but has sufficient flexibility to accept imperfections in underlying surfaces. Concrete lacks this ability.

There are other benefits to asphalt pavers over concrete or cement pavers. Concrete is more difficult to replace asphalt damaged than asphalt. This is one advantage. Asphalt can be recycled in full. Asphalt can be recycled in large quantities due to its high demand.

Asphalt construction projects offer another benefit: they are much easier to complete and can be opened for traffic faster than concrete construction projects. Also, asphalt pavement maintenance is more cost-effective than concrete pavement. Even minor cracks that appear in asphalt driveways or walkways are easy to fix. In fact, with the right knowledge, one person can complete an asphalt repair project in one day. It is possible to increase the durability of an asphalt surface by making simple and inexpensive asphalt repairs.

It is possible to save money and time by repairing asphalt pavement instead of cement paving. The asphalt can be repaired in a fraction as long as concrete.

Asphalt Paving is an excellent alternative to concrete paving, and can be used in new construction or maintenance.

 

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