You know you need to use asphalt for an upcoming project, but you also need different types of asphalt depending on the type of project, your budget, and even the weather. How do you choose the best option?
It’s a big decision to make, so knowing what the specific options are before you make a choice is important.
Read on to learn more about five types of asphalt pavement.
1. Porous
Porous asphalt is engineered to allow water to infiltrate or pass through, reducing stormwater runoff while recharging the water table.
If you choose porous asphalt, you may be able to reduce the number of required drainage features needed to comply with local stormwater regulations. Porous asphalt can also provide increased skid resistance and safety.
Use porous asphalt for projects such as parking lots, and low-volume roads. It also works for paving recreation areas such as basketball courts, tennis courts, and playground lots.
2. Perpetual
Perpetual pavement is constructed of layers that help to reduce fatigue and cracking. The asphalt at the bottom layer is strong enough to resist cracking, rutting, and settling. This prevents cracks from forming in the bottom layer and spreading into the surface layers.
Since the bottom layers of perpetual pavement last for so long, the top layer can be resurfaced easily without digging out the pavement. The removed surface layer can be recycled. Maintained in this way, perpetual pavement can last 50 years or longer.
Perpetual pavement costs more up front, but saves money over time since it has such a long life span. Use perpetual pavement when you need a durable paving job that’s meant to last.
3. Quiet
In general, driving on asphalt pavements makes less noise than driving on concrete pavements. Open-grade friction course pavement, or “quiet” pavement, creates even less road noise.
Use quiet pavement when you want to reduce noise outside of homes and businesses.
4. Hot Mix
Hot mix asphalt is the asphalt most commonly used on roads and pavements in the US.
Types of hot mix include dense-grad mixes, stone matrix mixes, and open-grade hot mix asphalt. The asphalt is heated and poured at temperatures of 300-350 degrees, so it needs to be laid quickly in expert fashion.
5. Warm Mix
Warm mix asphalt performs the same functions as hot mix asphalt, but construction workers can mix it at much lower temperatures. This improves working conditions in a number of ways.
Since it takes less fuel to heat warm mix asphalt, choosing it saves money and produces less greenhouse gas emissions. (The higher the temperature, the more fumes are emitted by the asphalt.)
Construction workers can apply warm mix asphalt at cooler temperatures than hot asphalt, so they can do the work earlier in spring or later in fall than hot asphalt.
Warm mix asphalt also makes working conditions better for employees. Workers need less time and labor to compact the mix, and this type of asphalt emits fewer fumes that can cause health hazards.
Use warm mix asphalt if you want to save money and create better working conditions.
Choose Between Types of Asphalt Pavement
When you have to choose between types of asphalt pavement, consider your budget, the projected use, and the season of construction.
If you need help choosing the asphalt for your project, contact us. We’ll help you decide exactly what you need.
