Pavement construction involves the same principles whether you want the contractor to build a road, driveway, or parking lot. The scope of the project and heavy machinery used may differ, but the basics of pavement construction are the same. They all need a base with proper drainage and a surface made from asphalt. Here's a look at what you might expect if you want a road built on your property.
Prepare The Land
If you're tearing out an old road and putting in a new one, the contractor has to break apart the old asphalt and get it out of the way. If you're building a road for the first time, the contractor might need to do some excavating of the land. Grass and other landscaping have to be stripped off and the land graded. You might even need some trees removed so the road has plenty of clearance on both sides.
Once the soil is clear, the contractor has to slope and grade the land so rain rolls off the side of the road and doesn't stay and make puddles.
Build The Gravel Base
The gravel base is an important part of a road. The base has to be constructed properly and compacted so it supports the asphalt without shifting. The thickness of the base is determined by the anticipated weight of the traffic.
If the road on your property will transport heavy machinery and semi-trucks on a regular basis, the base might need to be thicker than if the road will be used mostly by cars. Once the gravel base is compacted, it's tested to make sure the gravel doesn't move or shift when driven over by heavy machinery.
Apply The Asphalt
Asphalt construction involves putting down two layers of asphalt. The first layer is made up of large gravel rocks that are mixed with oil. The large gravel provides strength and stability to the road so it can support trucks and heavy vehicles.
The second layer is made up of smaller rocks that are mixed with sand and oil. This allows the surface of the road to be smooth, especially once it's rolled and compacted into the bottom layer. The final step in asphalt construction is to put down lines and stripes to mark the driving and passing lanes.
Asphalt construction goes fairly fast, so your new road should be completed within a reasonable amount of time unless traffic uses the road while it's being built. In that case, the contractor might have to build one side of the road at a time so the road isn't completely shut down.
For more information, contact a company like Rocky Mountain Pavement.