Asphalt is the most popular, cost-effective and versatile material used for paving; however, it does come with a few disadvantages. Along with traffic and seasonal changes, extremely cold weather, heavy rain and snow, excessive moisture and repeated salting, all of these factors can eventually cause damage and cracks on your pavement.
However, if you were proactive and signed up for annual maintenance for your asphalt, your paving contractor will spot early signs of damage and fix these minor flaws quickly. Proactive investment and routine maintenance will go a long way in enhancing the life of your pavement and save you money when it comes to expensive repaving in the long run.
However, suppose you missed out on having an ongoing maintenance plan and have started seeing cracks on your paved surface. In that case, you can hire professionals to help you identify the types of cracks in your pavement and treat them using repaving or resurfacing.
The Age of the Original Asphalt
While most asphalts will last you between 20 to 30 years, the local weather and amount of traffic can cause their lifespan to shorten by several years. You can add as much as 15 years onto its lifespan by conducting a simple resurfacing job, although if your pavement is close to the end of its lifespan, then it could be a good time to think about repaving.
Effort and Labour Required
Even if the cracks on the surface of your pavement are superficial in nature, the amount of work and time that will go into patching them up might not be worth it compared to the benefits you get if you choose to resurface. This is true, especially if there are signs showing any underlying issues or your pavement is already high in the number of years left of its lifespan. In these cases, your professional paving contractors might suggest you repave instead of just repair.
The Condition of Your Pavement’s Base
Asphalt pavements are made up of many layers of aggregate materials, so resurfacing could be a viable option if your lower layers are undamaged and strong enough to support another new layer on top.
Fatigue or alligator cracks are a common type of asphalt craving caused by harsh weather conditions, inadequate drainage, and low foundation materials. The surface will look dry and fractured, just like the skin of an alligator. Your pavers will be able to do in-depth patching to fix these types of cracks.
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