How Cold Weather Affects Your Parking Lot

Every season affects asphalt paving differently. While all four come with their own challenges, winter can be the harshest on your pavement. Common winter elements like snow, snowmelt, ice, and road salt can wreak havoc on pavement, especially pavement that isn’t properly sealed.

Snowmelt and ice are two of the biggest winter threats to asphalt pavement. As ice melts, re-freezes, and melts again throughout the winter, it gradually seeps into cracks within the asphalt surface. As the surface course deteriorates, the base course and subgrades are exposed to these conditions. Small surface cracks become large, and large cracks become potholes. Often, if surface cracks are left untreated, the result will be much larger, costly base repairs. 

The Consequences of Poor Pavement Maintenance

Winter asphalt damage is more than just an aesthetic problem. As cracks, potholes, and structural issues get worse, they expose your business to a range of repercussions that affect your operations and finances. Here are a few of the consequences you might face because of poor maintenance:

• Reputation: Visible parking lot damage reflects poorly on your place of business. Your parking lot is the gateway to your business and often the first thing a person notices. 
• Access: Uneven driving surfaces are harder for vehicles to navigate. Serious damage may make your property more difficult to access for pickups or deliveries.
• Expense: What was once routine maintenance may require significant reconstruction after winter, resulting in emergency repairs with higher costs and longer disruptions.
• Liability: Pavement cracks and potholes can be a safety hazard. You may face legal liabilities for personal injury or vehicle damage due to damaged pavement neglect.

These risks increase as time goes on. Asphalt pavement doesn’t fix itself—routine maintenance is required. Once the damage has begun, it only escalates. As pavement condition worsens, the cost of restoration does, too. 

Protecting Your Pavement With Blacktop Sealing

Staying on top of asphalt maintenance is imperative to avoid increasing consequences. Fortunately, if addressed at regular intervals, maintenance can both extend the life of your existing parking lot and reduce costs for more severe repairs. 

Sealcoating helps fill microscopic cracks within your pavement and is the first line of defense against deterioration. The quality sealer also adds sand and fine aggregate particles back to the surface of your asphalt, helping to create a skid-resistant surface. If your pavement is already impacted by cracks, sealing is imperative.  Crack sealing involves cleaning existing cracks, and filling with a melted rubber compound. This compound bonds to the walls of the crack, ensuring water cannot penetrate.

If these services are performed before winter hits, you can protect your pavement from the worst of seasonal damage. Your pavement will be primed to weather the New Jersey climate, leaving you with a smooth and safe surface come spring.