REPOST: Light asphalt saves lives, says Dutch company

Experts are keeping their fingers crossed on the possibility of a light-reflecting asphalt to provide energy and cost saving benefits and to promote road safety. Read more about the light-reflecting experiment in the article below.

 

Image Source: nltimes.nl

Experiments on light-reflecting asphalt point to the possibility that road administrators could save millions on road-side lighting on highways. In the dark, road-users could even find their way without headlights, De Telegraaf reports.


The first results are in after a long-term experimentation from Dura Vermeer and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment on the use of the ‘white asphalt’.

In 2011, the Luminumpave, designed by Dura Vermeer, was laid on the A35 near Hengelo, as well as in areas of Purmerend and Hoofdorp, as a test area to see whether the asphalt with various mixture compounds could withstand the test of time.

According to innovation manager Robbert Naus, the ‘white’ roads could save up to 50 percent of the public illumination currently necessary. “This could mean enormous energy saving and corresponding reduction of CO2  emissions if this is administered.”

Last year, the Minisry of Infrastructure and Environment decided to cut the lights on half of the highways after 11 p.m. to save costs. This is hoped to save €35 million by 2020. Naus believes that the white asphalt could be an alternative.

The light-reflecting asphalt is also safer as road-users can see each other as well as the road more clearly, Naus says. The manager tells the paper that negotiations are underway with the provinces of Overijssel and Noord-Holland about the possible administration of the white pavement. Rotterdam is also interested.

The asphalt is slightly more expensive than the normal kind, but this will be made up for by the reduction of lighting necessary. “And if it then also reduces the chance of accidents and is CO2-friendly, it means a win-win situation”, Naus tells De Telegraaf.

Tunnels could be the first targets for the light asphalt because they are lit at all times, offering the most profit from this scheme. Naus says that the white asphalt could also simply work in strategic locations such as dark corners on roads or in the vicinity of schools, sporting associations and residential areas to increase safety.

United Paving Co. handles a full spectrum of parking lot and street construction services. Click here to learn more about the cost-effective solutions for your asphalt paving needs.

REPOST: New Rubber Asphalt Being Tested Could Mean Less Potholes

Tests are underway in Mid-Michigan to improve asphalt roads by adding rubber from old tires to increase the roads elasticity.  Read this article from WILX.com for the full report:

Image Source: www.wilx.com

It's a bumpy ride for drivers all over Mid-Michigan as we find ourselves in the midst of pothole season.

But there are some stretches of road right now where it's actually pretty smooth sailing.

Ingham County is in the midst of testing out a new paving technique using rubber from old tires that might actually help reduce the number of potholes down the road.

There are currently three stretches of road in the Lansing area that have received the rubber treatment including Waverly Road between Miller and Jolly, Haslett Road between Park Lake and Okemos, and Cornell Road between M-43 and Haslett.

The method is also being tested in Saginaw County.

"Grants have been given to develop and research mixtures involving recycled tire rubber in the asphalt paving mixture," said Bill Conklin, director for the Ingham County Road Department.

"The rubber added to the asphalt amends the properties to keep asphalt elastic for a longer period of time."

The added rubber keeps the pavement flexible, making it less prone to cracking which could potentially mean less potholes, according to Conklin.

Given the current state of Michigan's roads and road funding, Conklin said the priority now is figuring out how to do more with less.

"What we're doing is using higher-technology materials to do more road or a better job with the funding we have."

But where the rubber meets the road there's also a bigger price tag compared to regular asphalt or concrete, ringing up at roughly $20 more per ton, which can add up quickly when paving miles of road.

"Being a new product with a market not exactly set up to mass produce this material it's a little more expensive at this time," Conklin said.

Conklin said the county is working with the Michigan DNR and the engineering department at Michigan State University on researching the material.

Since 2011, the county has received roughly $700,000 in grant money to help fund the three projects that totaled roughly $4 million to complete.

The county is still waiting to determine the success of the current trials.

"Certainly for the next half dozen years we want to observe this and see how it's looking at age 10," Conklin said. "At 10 years we should be able to discern differences... but for the first few years we've seen we're happy with the performance."

Bennett Road in Okemos could be the next road to receive the treatment, according to Conklin.

United Paving Company is an asphalt paving contractor handling a full range of construction services including asphalt, concrete, and striping services.  Visit this website for more information.

REPOST: New road paving technique means quieter I-5

Residents living along the stretch of Interstate 5 are enjoying quiet nights since the road was improved using a new technique in road paving. Read the whole story in this article from 10news.com.

SAN DIEGO - Caltrans has done something never seen in California before. Deep grooves now stretch on a small area of Interstate 5 in North County and Caltrans says the results are in -- the  “next generation concrete surface” has made the area much quieter and the residents much happier.

Image Source: www.10news.com

Corridor residents 10News spoke to who live along the stretch of the I-5 between Via de la Valle and Lomas Santa Fe say the newly paved surface has been "life-changing."

“I’ve lived just up the hill for 30 years and [the noise] only increased over time,” said Cathy Borgia. “It was pretty bad, bad enough for me that I had to wear ear plugs to sleep at night.”

Borgia says the freeway noise issue has gotten much better in the last year and that even the morning commutes are quiet. 10News reporter Natasha Zouves strapped a GoPro to the side of a news van to see the reason why. The new paving technique works to reduce noise by making deep grooves in the road.

Caltrans says up to 90 percent of freeway noise is made when tires hit the pavement. The new grooves reduce the noise by about five decibels. But, perhaps more importantly, the grooves also change the frequency of the sound, making it much harder for the human ear to hear.

The GoPro footage 10News captured clearly shows the difference in noise. On the new surface, the driver can barely hear cars passing by.

The project began in May of 2012 and wrapped up in August.

“The project has been so successful, we’ve received two awards in the last three months,” said Arturo Jacobo of Caltrans. “We are very pleased with the results. For the residents that live adjacent to the corridor they can see the difference and hear the difference. We plan to use this technique in the upcoming North Coast Corridor Project.”

$3.2 Billion will go to the area between La Jolla Village Drive and Harbor Drive in Oceanside in the upcoming North Coast Corridor Project. Jacobo says the project will use this new paving technique and that, surprisingly, it comes at no extra cost. Four express lanes will be added to the existing eight lanes and construction will begin in late 2015.

10News spotted another resident of the corridor enjoying his bagels right next to the newly-ground freeway. Ron Carey is of another mind about peace and quiet. The New York native says in all the years he has been here, San Diego has never been too loud.

“This is quiet. The weather is great, people are very quiet here and you never see them, so it’s great,” said resident Ron Carey. “Don’t complain."

Established in 2000, United Paving Company is an asphalt paving contractor serving the counties in Southern California, including Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura. For more details, visit this website.

REPOST: Removing oil stains from an asphalt driveway

Lori Lane from Yahoo! Voices shares tips on removing stubborn oil stains from asphalt surfaces.

Oil stains can cause an eye ache for anyone that owns a driveway. Oil stains can contribute to a slippery surface in the wintertime, as the temperature freezes. It would be easy to use a jack hammer to pry the oil off, pour alien acid from the movie 'Alien' on top of the oil, or scoop up the oil with a backhoe to remove it from the asphalt driveway. All by which are not suggested. If you do have an asphalt driveway and wish to remove the oil stains from it, here are some useful tips and ideas.

Image Source: www.clarkpainting.net

Litter and Soap

Pour kitty litter on the oil stain for forty-five minutes. Brush off the kitty litter and pour hot water on the surface of the stain. Afterwards, place a good grease removing dish soap on top of the stain. Leave on the entire stain for fifteen minutes. Not only does this give the soap enough time to soak the surface, it weakens the oil's grip onto the asphalt driveway. Wear a pair of protective gloves and scrub the area where the oil is located thoroughly, using a scrub brush. Scrub lightly so that you do not damage your asphalt driveway. Slowly add hot water during this process then rinse. Finally, you can blot with a clean rag or paper towel.

Oil Clean-Up Compound

Oil clean-up compound is almost like kitty litter, but has more absorbing potential when it comes to oil on a driveway. One can find an oil clean-up compound at local home improvement centers, and at some automotive stations or stores. Make sure that the compound is light enough and asphalt friendly since asphalt is a specific type of surface and requires solidity and does not favor Solvents or harsh chemical mixtures.

Soda with a Twist

Soda can help remove that ugly oil stain on the asphalt driveway. Simply pour soda on the oil stain generously, following it with a twist of a lemon. Leave on the surface for thirty minutes. Rinse off lightly with hot water. After this, take a bottle of Dawn liquid soap and, again, pour on top of the oil stain generously. Wait fifteen minutes and lightly pour hot water on the stain as you scrub the stain off lightly with a scrub brush. Do not forget to wear gloves. You do not want to damage your hands or asphalt driveway. Rinse off with hot water and blot dry with a cloth or paper towel.

Fix the leak

Another way to remove oil stains would be to fix that leak. After you have used one of the mentioned techniques to remove the oil stains from your asphalt driveway, you can regulate future oil stains by simple strategy. It may cost to get your car checked but beginning with the oil pan helps. Have your local auto shop check your oil pan and surrounding locations for leaks. The old fashioned idea of placing cardboard underneath the leaking vehicle is a great way to locate a leak. It helps when you do take your car to an auto shop to let them know where you think the leak is coming from.

Tips

A home and landscape looks better with a clean driveway, and many people do not like the 'moo-moo' look on a driveway. Having a well managed driveway is just as important as managing a home. Always keep the driveway in mind and check it for stains, spots, cracks, or damages.
A great tip to offer would be not to mix any chemicals without reading all warnings and instructions. Make sure that the mixture is safe by all means. Chemicals can be quite dangerous when misused. Wearing gloves is always advised. And never use chemicals of any kinds around children.
Another great tip would be to use a sealer made for asphalt. Follow all warnings and instructions when using as it will help seal and protect your asphalt driveway for the future.

Image Source: www.atlantaspaintdoctor.com

Get more tips on maintaining and repairing asphalt surfaces from the United Paving Company website.

Though only as strong as its foundation, asphalt is smoother than concrete and is much easier to drive on, since it does not need for expansion joints. As a surface, a well-maintained and structurally sound asphalt overlay is aesthetically pleasing, though it can trap heat due to its darker tinge.

Image Source: www.merchantcircle.com

Due to its similar properties to concrete, asphalt is the alternative go-to surfacing material for paved areas such as parking lots. Both asphalt and concrete are hard on the joints of long-distance runners and walkers without proper footwear, although they claim contradictorily that asphalt is slightly easier on the joints due to its surface texture.

Image Source: www.turnitblack.com

Moreover, formulations of asphalt, such as the rubber-asphalt matrix used in the pavements of Disney Theme Parks, have been used to reduce the impact of walking for long distances in public places.

Image Source: static.guim.co.uk

 
Concrete pavement, however, is considerably more durable than its asphalt counterpart and is a lot cooler, given its off-white coloration that reflects the heat of the sun. Animals such as dogs are better walked on concrete surfaces as a result.  

Regardless of whether one chooses to pave an area with asphalt or concrete, ensuring the integrity of the chosen pavement is vital for its long-term use. United Paving understands that a stable pavement can prevent falls and accidents (and the lawsuits that follow). Visit this website for more information on the mechanics of paved works.