It is not particularly rare for people to look at something every day without really seeing it. One example is a Houston asphalt pavement. Immediately after installation, property owners or managers may inspect every inch of their new pavement. However, as the months turn into years, the pavement draws their attention less and less. Then, seemingly overnight, large areas of the pavement develop severe damage and become unusable. In reality, it is highly likely that the pavement displayed signs of distress long before it began to fail.

What Is the Difference Between Asphalt Pavement Distress and Normal Wear?

When an asphalt paving company constructs a pavement correctly, it should not wear out for 15 or 20 years if it receives the paving services it needs. Routine maintenance, including crack sealing and sealcoating, is part of a long life, and your pavement may need an occasional asphalt repair. Wear is a gradual process that may be so slow that you do not even notice it. Distress also differs from the typical damage that most pavements experience. Shallow or narrow cracks, color loss, and even small potholes are fairly routine types of damage. On the other hand, distress is hard to miss, even if you are not a Houston paving contractor. It often appears quickly, and it can be quite dramatic.

Can a Commercial Paving Company Repair an Asphalt Pavement That Is Suffering From Distress?

If you call your asphalt contractor quickly enough, it may be possible to salvage some pavements suffering from most types of distress. The asphalt repair method will depend on the cause and extent of the distress. For example, if a large part of your pavement is affected, your asphalt paving company may have to resurface it. However, your Houston paving contractor might be able to make a repair by installing a full-depth patch if the damage is confined to a small area.

What Are Some Types of Houston Asphalt Pavement Distress?

When many people first see signs of pavement distress, they are completely mystified as to its cause. Normally, pavement distress is the result of one of three things: installation errors, neglected repairs, or pavement overloading.

1. Alligator cracking is a type of distress that could potentially be caused by overloading, neglected repairs, or construction errors. In most cases, however, it is the result of water that has entered through unrepaired cracks or other pavement breaks and weakened the foundation. However, during construction, a Houston asphalt pavement company may have failed to compact the asphalt sufficiently. Overloading the pavement by allowing more or heavier vehicles than your commercial paving contractor engineered your pavement to support is another possible cause.
2. Pumping is the term that asphalt contractors use to describe a situation in which traffic is forcing mud or water to the surface. The fact that there is water below your pavement is never a good sign. The water could have penetrated through potholes or cracks that were not repaired promptly. It could also indicate that the contractor failed to address subterranean drainage issues.
3. Washboards are waves in the pavement that typically show up at intersections, traffic lights, and other locations where vehicles are frequently braking and accelerating. They are virtually always the result of an inferior asphalt mix. The contractor might have used too little aggregate, for example, or too much asphalt cement.
4. Rutting is what most Houston paving contractors call the development of ruts in the wheel path of a pavement. The ruts collect water, so they pose a potential danger if vehicles hydroplane or get knocked out of their travel path. Rutting is usually caused by a foundation that is too weak to support the traffic that the pavement currently receives.
5. Flushing refers to shiny or smooth patches in asphalt. These patches tend to develop in the wheel paths. Flushing is virtually always the result of excessive asphalt cement in the mix.
6. Tears or wrinkles indicate a bond failure. Asphalt paving must remain bonded to its underlying base. A bond failure means that the pavement in that area will attempt to move when vehicles pass over it. Installation errors are the most common cause, but structural flaws can also result in rips or wrinkles.

Marathon Solutions Group is a leading Houston paving contractor offering both asphalt and concrete paving services. Our services include asphalt paving and resurfacing, concrete installation and repair, asphalt sealcoating, marking removal, thermoplastic markings, asphalt milling, parking lot striping, bollard installation, parking lot signage, asphalt crack repair, parking lot maintenance, and asphalt repair. We are known for the exceptionally high quality of our work and our exemplary customer service. To request a free quote, fill out our online form, call 800-879-1147, or email Sales@Marathon-Solutions.com.