Construction & Contractors Blog
There are several steps involved in building a new parking lot. An asphalt parking lot consists of a compacted base, aggregate, and asphalt. Here's an overview of how these layers are built.
Prepare The Ground
Asphalt construction begins with ground preparations. If you're tearing out an old lot, the old asphalt is scraped up and hauled off. If the contractor is starting with undeveloped land, they'll need to clear the land and grade it so the parking lot will drain properly. They may even need to install drains in the lot if your parking lot is big so water can drain toward the middle and sides of the lot.
Build the Base
Once the land is graded and clear, it's time to build the base by adding gravel and compacting it into the soil. As the gravel and soil are compacted, the base becomes strong so the soil won't shift and the base can support the weight of the asphalt and vehicles.
Building a sturdy base is an essential step in asphalt construction because if the base isn't compacted well, the parking lot may have problems with cracks and potholes. That's why the contractor takes care and time to make sure the base is just right before asphalt is added.
The next layer of the base is the binder. This is a mix of gravel and oil. The oil binds the gravel and makes the base even stronger.
Add the Asphalt
The top layer of asphalt is made up of sand, oil, and smaller gravel. It is spread around the base to the specified and uniform thickness as determined by the contractor. It's usually poured out hot from a truck and spread around with brooms by the crew. The final step in asphalt construction is to compact the surface of the parking lot with heavy machinery to bind it together and press it into the base.
Mark The Parking Spaces
Your parking lot must comply with ADA regulations for marking parking spaces. Your contractor knows the regulations you need to follow based on the size of your parking lot, but you can read and understand the regulations yourself too. Marking the spaces helps traffic flow and it also maximizes parking spaces when people know where and how to park.
When the asphalt construction project is complete, your new parking lot will have a rich black color with easily visible white stripes for parking spaces. If you maintain your parking lot carefully, it will continue to stay free from damage and be attractive for many years.
For more info about parking lot construction, contact a local company.
Share10 March 2023
Have you ever driven past a large building that was still under construction? You may have stopped for a moment and admired the steel trusses and the heavy concrete blocks used to form and support such a large architectural creation. Here's a secret: construction workers do the same. Workers in this industry never cease to be amazed at what they can create from seemingly boring materials. Concrete turns into a school. Steel turns into a doctor's office. It really is incredible. You may not feel quite as amazed as you read about construction on this blog, but if you get at least a fraction of that wondered, amused feeling, we will be satisfied.
