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Perspectives |
Asphalt or Concrete?by Russ Timmerman Asphalt or concrete, how do you know which one to
use? What should the cross section be? What are the best practices to install
the product? These are all questions that I’m sure most facility managers
have asked at some point when trying to determine the ‘best fit’ for their
pavement needs. It doesn’t matter if you manage or own a shopping center,
distribution center, factory or retail store, they all have parking lots and
loading areas. When facilities such as these are built, one of the last
things that is completed is the parking and loading areas. Owners want the buildings constructed as
soon as possible to start making a return on their investment. But quite
often, it is these important areas that take a back seat to the rest of the
building. In other words, often times
monies are taken from properly constructing the parking lots and loading
areas to cover unexpected costs to the building itself. One of the first things that should be taken into
consideration when determining whether to use asphalt or concrete on new
pavement areas is cost, not the best product for the intended usage. Concrete
pavements can cost up to 3 times the amount of asphalt pavements, and can
take twice as long to construct. Asphalt pavements generally last 15 - 20
years, with preventative maintenance required every 3 - 4 years. Concrete
pavements can last between 25 - 30 years, with minimal preventative
maintenance. So which one do you use? The best determining factor should
be considering what the pavement is to be used for. If you do not choose the
proper product, the life span of the pavement can be decreased significantly,
thus increasing costs. In order to choose the proper product, you should consider the following factors:
Asphalt is a good choice for parking lots that
receive mainly car traffic and roadways that do not carry excessive truck
traffic. Concrete is a good choice for loading docks, semi truck and trailer
parking areas, and roadways that are used mainly by trucks. The cross section of the asphalt and concrete pavements would
be determined by the soil conditions and the amount and weight of the traffic
it will carry. Geotechnical testing is recommended to determine the amount
of aggregate sub-base and thickness of asphalt or concrete. Under drains may
be necessary to remove moisture from the sub-grade, if the location of the
facility receives a large amount of rainfall or sub-surface moisture is a
problem. Once you have determined what product you are going to use,
you must choose a qualified contractor to install the product. By calling the
state chapters of the National Asphalt and Concrete Paving Associations, you
can find qualified contractors in your area. During construction, a quality control program should be
implemented to assure that you are receiving a quality product installed by
the best practices used in today’s construction industry. As
you can see, choosing the right product for the right job is a complicated
task. A qualified engineer should be involved to ensure that the right
product is used and it is installed correctly. A little money spent up front,
can save a lot of money in the long run. Copyright (c) 2005, Benchmark,
Inc., all rights reserved. |
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