Faqs

Pavement management saves paving and maintenance costs, protects the value of this expensive asset and is environmentally friendly when it is fully implemented minimizing the number of times a pavement requires reconstruction.

Pavement management has been a recognized dicipline in the engineering and public works communities since the United States Corps of Engineers began the study of managing airfield pavement in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Pavement management is a subset of infrastructure management and as our paved assets age it becomes increasingly important.

The United States Government ties much if not all of their funding for roadways and runways (individual State Departments of Transportation and Airports) to the recipient's use of a pavement management system. The Federal Government does this to maximize the longevity of the paved asset they are assisting in paying for.

Almost all local cities, counties, townships, and state and regional governments utilitze pavement management in one form or another. Although there is approximately as much parking lot/non-roadway pavement as their is roadway pavement pavement management is usually not used in the non-roadway sector.

Many of the current techniques used by professional pavement managers require the collection of multiple pavement distress criteria and involve the use of sophisticated and ever changing mathematical formulas. These approaches are useful but they generate efficiencies at orders of cost magnitudes that are simply not effective or attractive on parking lot pavement and owners we communicate with are not willing to go to the expense of collecting and analyzing so much data.

The genesis of this website is the approach that perhaps eighty to ninety percent of the gross benefits of pavement management may be garnered by the owners of private or non-roadway pavement by using simple and effective methods of visual evaluations, accurate and comprehensive project development and diciplined, regular and appropriate maintenance.

Our pavement condition evaluations are an on-site visual evaluation of the pavement size, type, condition and use. Depending upon the needs of the client we may research and develop an opinion of the current value of the pavement, develop options for its maintenance or reconstruction and/or develop an opinion of the propable cost to repair, rehabilitate or reconstruct the pavement.

We have been asked to complete these evaluations by companies looking to evaluate the cost of maintaining a pavement at a leased facility that they are evaluating a lease renewal on verses the cost of building their own facility. We have been asked to evaluate difficult pavement conditions in order to establish priorities, best approaches and to develop budgets. We have been asked to evaluate the condition of systems of pavements to develop priorities. In this case we work with the client in determining the type of approach that will be used - worst first, bang for the buck, operational, political, appearance or the best mix.

Our complete pavement evaluations are usually too expensive for a simple pavement inventory. That is why we offer the informational products that we do on this website.

When we complete a pavement evaluation we do research on current local pricing, local pavement requirements (pavement structural section and geo-technical conditions) as well as draft a formal report that may be used in planning and in corporate review. Typically, this is done for large areas of important pavement where the owner would like an independant evaluation of the pavement condition, a good idea of the costs associated with a range of treatments and a recommendation that is not tied to a fee proposal to do construction (such as a contractors bid.)

Yes. We are available for training in pavement and pavement maintenance and for pavement condition evaluations nationwide. We are currently licensed to complete designs in California, Illinois and Utah.

Any industry that has the responsability to maintain or that owns pavement. Industries include: Business/Consumer, Commercial, Industrial, Retail, Real Estate, Homeowner Association, Hospitality/Hotel/Restaurant, Healthcare, Educational, Religious.

The PASER (Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating) system is a useful system developed by the Transportation Information Center at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. It is a good system but it is geared toward small, under-funded municipalities and their need to evaluate the condition of roadway asphalt.

The PASER system includes the evaluation of defects such as rutting and shoving which are rarely seen in parking lots. Our eBook How to Identify Asphalt Pavement Condition is geared toward the parking lot/non-roadway evaluation of pavement condition. Both of these systems use visual assessments to establish pavement condition and both use a 1-10 scale for pavement condition ratings.

No. King Engineering, Inc. is a civil engineering company. Our strength is giving the pavement owner and/or manager the tools to solicit quality bids from many different qualified asphalt pavement and pavement maintenance contractors. We strive to empower and educate the pavement owner.

We follow the tried and tested public works template of giving a contractor very specific requirements to meet and a very specific set of work tasks (plans and specifications or details and specifications) and let him bid the work straight up amongst a pool of his qualified peers. We strive to unleash the power of competitive bidding without the negetive side effects of low bid and poor work or low bid and change order.

No. That is the strength of using a true materials and installation specification. Any contractor may bid the work as long as they meet the requirements of the specification.

There are some pavement and pavement maintenance contractors who offer what they call specifications on their websites. They usually reference their own company with very generic requirements that cannot be independantly verified. Our specifications frequently reference ASTM (American Society for the Testing of Materials) tests that are widely recognized in the testing and materials community and may be used independantly to assure quality.

Yes. Please use the contact us form for information regarding bulk purchasing and discounts.

Our electronic commerce (eCommerce) products are copyrighted and licensed. Please see our TERMS page for approved uses. Purchase of an eBook does not grant the purchaser the right to copy and distribute that book amongst his or her organization.

Yes. They have been shown to reduce the rate of reflective cracking, they may significantly protect the pavement section from water intrusion (most fabrics act as water barriers) and they add as a rule of thumb the structural stiffness and support of approximately 1" of compacted asphalt surface course.

Usually it is a good idea to allow at least 24 hours for the seal coat to cure. It is especially important to allow adequate curing on ISSA slurry seal coats to minimize power steering burns or marks caused by rotating front tires on the pavement.

It depends on the temperature but you should allow from between 2 to 6 hours after installation and compaction before allowing traffic back on your pavement.

Yes. All pavement and most pavement maintenance products are derivitives of crude oil and the price of crude oil will directly impact their cost.

Yes. You will need insurance to show that you are reputable and many clients will require that you have it.

Purchase our Asphalt bundle and go through the process of evaluating your pavement, selecting an appropriate maintenance strategy and short listing the appropriate contractor. Simply going with the low bid can end up being more expensive and lead to repetitive work and headaches.

Usually in a four season climate it is in the winter or very early spring. You will get your best pricing when the contractors are looking to fill their calendars. Be careful that they do not attempt to complete the work in the cold and wet. The time of bidding and the beginning of the work are two different things.

The only appropriate maintenance treatment used in cold or wet conditions is a cold mix asphalt patch and that is known to be a temporary fix installed in less than ideal circumstances for user safety. Pavement and pavement maintenance installed in the cold and wet will not perform to the same standard as that installed in appropriate conditions.

Ask if he licensed, bonded and specializes in the type of work you are looking for. If the amount of work you are looking to complete is significant request 3 to 5 references and follow them up with questions and take a look at the results. Older references are better as you can go and actually see how this contractors work holds up over time. For more information see our eBook How to Select a Contractor for Pavement Construction and Maintenance.

Rutting, Pushing and/or Shoving, Wash boarding, Depressions (Settlement), Frost Heave are the general categories. Rutting, Pushing, Shoving and Washboarding rarely occur in parking lots.

Bleaching, raveling, weathering, polishing and bleeding.

Linear cracks, Longitudinal cracks, Transverse cracks, Seam cracks, Edge cracks, Thermal cracks, Block cracks and Alligator cracks are all common terms used to describe Asphalt cracks. For more specific information on what these cracks are please see our eBook How to Identify Asphalt Pavement Problems.

Generally two coats are sufficient if the pavement is clean. If it is not then you may want three with the first acting as a kind of tack coat helping the next two adhere to the surface.

Generally two coats are sufficient if the pavement is clean. If it is not then you may want three with the first acting as a kind of tack coat helping the next two adhere to the surface. If you are intalling an ISSA (International Slurry Seal Association) based Slurry Seal you will need one coat.

Probably if it can be shown that you own the pavement and/or have a responsibility to maintain the pavement and that you were negligent in repairing a problem or maintaining the surface.

Probably if it can be shown that you own the lot and/or have a responsibility to maintain the pavement and that you were negligent in repairing a problem or maintaining the surface. Typical trip and fall injuries are caused by potholes or tripping hazards (the pavement grade or elevation is too close to the elevation of a concrete curb or sidewalk). Another form of liability due to personal injury is slipping on ice.

These kinds of liabilities are called TORT liability and drive a lot of the effort on the part of pavement owners to operate and maintain their pavement in a safe manner.

Infrared pavement maintenance is heating the paved surface and either scraping off a thin layer to redress minor grade problems or scraping off a thin surface layer and then adding more asphalt in its place.

Infrared pavement maintenance is heating the paved surface and either scraping off a thin layer to redress minor grade problems or scraping off a thin surface layer and then adding more asphalt in its place. Heating/Infrared treatment has its place. It is beneficial in addressing some surface (cosmetic) problems. It can be used in conjunction with skin patches to cover up a range of pavement problems. It does not, however, redress fundamental problems with the pavement section such as base or subgrade failure or insufficient drainage.

You should probably look at either a simple fog seal coat or an asphalt seal coat. If you have some raveling and weathering along with the bleaching I would recommend an ISSA Type I slurry seal (parking lot) or an ISSA Type II slurry seal for a local roadway that will not see much if any pedestrian use.

Just about anyone. They need some simple tools such as a camera, notepad, measuring wheel or tape and some education on the types of pavement distress.

See our Asphlat Bundle offering for a complete resource for recognizing and rating pavement problems, identifying the most appropriate maintenance and going to get a contractor.

It is an evaluation of the quantity, type, use and condition of a pavement.

Yes. The system we recommend rates a pavement from a 1 (worst) to a 10 (best) and can be found along with pictures and examples of distress criteria in our eBook How to Identify Asphalt Pavement Problems.

Poor design or construction, water intrusion by no drainage and/or poor grade, weathering (sunlight), fuel spills, excessive loading.

If it has been properly designed and installed it should last from between 30 to 40 years.

If it has been designed by an engineer and installed in accordance with the design and tested in should last between 15 and 20 years without maintenance but also without being exposed to loads beyond its capacity.

If it has been designed by an engineer and installed in accordance with the design and tested in should last between 15 and 20 years without maintenance but also without being exposed to loads beyond its capacity. If it has not been maintained it will probably need to be completely reconstructed after the 15 to 20 year period.

Salt is the most common and cheapest but it has environmental side effects such as the salinization of bodies of water and accelerating corrosion on metallic surfaces.

Salt is the most common and cheapest but it has environmental side effects such as the salinization of bodies of water and accelerating corrosion on metallic surfaces. Magnesium Chloride and Calcium Chloride are better in colder temperatures but they share the environmental side effects of rock salt as they are also chlorides. ICE BAN®, ICE B GONE®, GEOMELT® and CALIBER are all agricultural byproducts and have no environmental side effects. CMA (Calcium Magnesium Acetate) was specifically designed for deicing without environmental side effects but is also more expensive.

Salts eutectic temperature (the temperature that it fails to work at all is -6 degrees Fahrenheit), but if fails to economically function at about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It should also be placed when there is some moisture present or in a brine solution for it to work more effectively.

The best way is to use what you already have such as a snow blower, a 4x4, ATV, etc. Be sure your equipment is rated to use any plow or spreader attachments you plan on using.

The best way is to use what you already have such as a snow blower, a 4x4, ATV, etc. Be sure your equipment is rated to use any plow or spreader attachments you plan on using. See our eBook Starting a Profitable Snow Removal and Ice Control Business. If you are short on capital I recommend beginning as a subcontractor plowing sidewalks for snow plow contractors. Plowing sidewalks is usually considered a nuisance by snow plow contractors and can be a way to break into the business.

The first is that they do not melt ice. They can clog drains after the snow melt and cause a mess including chipping paint. The greatest serious concern over the use of abrasives is that they can contribute to dust and particulate pollution and in some areas are monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as PM10 contributors.