The Luxury of a Paved Surface

Whenever anyone is planning parking lot paving work, it's wise to try to anticipate as many potential long-term problems as possible. This gives them a chance to talk with the contractors and devise better solutions. Commercial customers should be especially aware of this, so take a look at how your business can address four issues before paving a parking lot.

Heavy Vehicles

Even an occasional visit by a heavy vehicle can do lots of damage to a paved surface. For example, garbage trucks regularly visit many business locations. Likewise, lots of companies take shipments from tractor-trailers.

A commercial paving services firm can put down a thicker surface if you know there are going to be heavy vehicles coming by. You may also want to consider installing a concrete road base or having a contractor pack the soil as tightly as possible. This will provide greater durability, allowing the parking lot to better survive visits by heavy vehicles.

Pooled Water

Ideally, you don't want to see water pooling anywhere in a parking lot. If you're installing a new surface, this is an opportunity to bring in a grading contractor to flatten the surface and eliminate depressions and ruts. Likewise, you might need to install a drainage system to carry water away.

A parking lot paving company can add a slight grade to direct water toward drainage systems or down a hill. It may also be possible to use an asphalt mixture that's loose enough to allow water to go through. However, this solution will depend heavily on your location's requirements.

Extreme Weather

You should pave a parking lot based on the expected extremes for your location. A local contractor will usually know the extremes where your business is, but it's still a good topic to touch on. They can adjust the pavement mixture to compensate as much as possible for things like heavy snow and ice, intense sunlight, and long rainfalls.

Street Connections

Every municipality has different rules about how parking lots will connect with adjoining streets. Never assume the commercial paving services company knows the rules for your specific location. Contact your area's code enforcement office and request a copy of the rules. Tell them what you plan to do so they can tell you and the contractor how to make the connections work.

You should also think about how you want traffic to flow through the parking lot. If necessary, you might need to create one-way entries and exits to reduce accident risks and minimize traffic congestion.

Talk to a commercial paving service for more information.