Asphalt: For Sturdy, Long-Lasting Roads

Roads are the veins that run through the body of a civilization. Without them, there would be no way for the lifeblood of politics, commerce, and culture to travel through our society. Throughout history, roads have been constructed from different materials. Some of them have stood the test of time. Some have not. Today, many cities in America use asphalt to pave their roads. The result is a structurally sound, long-lasting byway on which to travel. There are many reasons to use asphalt and, fortunately, there are many companies which can perform asphalt paving in Macon.

Why Asphalt?

Many people wonder if there really is a difference between paving with concrete and paving with asphalt. Both are aggregate products, made from a mixture of different materials. Concrete is made from cement, water, crushed rock, and sand. Asphalt, meanwhile, though made from similar materials, is bound with bitumen, a product made from crude oil. Because concrete is bound with cement, it is very uncompromising. Thus, if there are any imperfections in the road’s underlying structure, the concrete will eventually crack or break. The bitumen used to bind asphalt is much more flexible and is therefore capable of handling the structural imperfections that concrete could not. The asphalt is still very durable and very sturdy, so there’s no need to be uneasy about driving on it. In fact, many cities, property owners, and commercial concerns prefer asphalt, not only because it lasts longer than concrete, but also because it is extremely easy to repair, replace, and recycle.

Construction with Asphalt

If you’ve ever seen a crew paving a road with asphalt, you know it can get pretty hot. The bitumen has to be hot in order to bind with harder material. This layer of hard aggregate is known as the base course. It usually is composed of different strata of rocks, decreasing in size from the bottom toward the top. In fact, the top stratum of the base course is usually just a layer of fine sand. Once the bitumen mixture is ready, it’s poured onto the base course. A steamroller is then driven over the asphalt so that it is smoothed out dries evenly. One of the other advantages that asphalt has over concrete is that it dries in a much shorter amount of time. This is way many home owners go with asphalt when they need to repair or resurface driveways or private roads that run through their property. If you have resurfacing needs, contact a company that can perform asphalt pavingin Macon today.