Pavement failure occurs when the asphalt does not meet minimum standards of design and installation. Pavement may also break down due to age, excessive loads, weathering, lack of maintenance and care. Failure can range from small cracks to full-blown potholes and depressions and expensive repairs no matter how tense the neighborhood gets in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

This article is not all-inclusive as there are many types of pavement failure, but hopefully, it will help give you an idea of what may be out there and a way to remedy the situation. For your safety, try to have any DIY repairs done before nightfall, and don’t forget equipment outside. We will discuss how to “fix it till you make it” before calling in the asphalt repair experts: Garden State Paving & Seal Coating!

1. Raveling: 

It occurs because the asphalt eventually breaks down, and the pavement’s surface is covered with loose chips and grit. This is the stage of pavement failure that can lead to potholes.

How-to-fix: small areas showing raveling can be covered using a store-bought asphalt patch, especially in winter. But if the damage is extensive, it calls for that section’s removal and an asphalt overlay.

2. Depression:

Bad compaction of the asphalt subgrade leads to depressions in the pavement that can collect surface runoff and lead to potholes.

How-to-fix: The temporary cure is to fill in the depressed area with an asphalt patch, but the real deal involves taking out the entire chunk of asphalt plus subgrade, news layers, compaction, and then apply new asphalt.

3. Potholes:

They are small holes in pavement ranging from (usually) about 6 inches to a couple of feet across but can be larger depending on where they form. Potholes are caused by water that gets into the crack of the road and, combined with day and night temperatures erodes the asphalt until the gravel comes loose.

How-to-fix: Throw and Roll patching involves placing the patch material into the pothole and using heavy patching truck tires to level it. A semi-permanent fix involves cleaning and squaring the affected site before patching, then vibrating compactor plates or vibratory single-drum roller over the area.

4. Alligator Cracks:

Unstable subgrade, thin asphalt layer, heavy traffic, and pavement age lead to cracks that resemble an alligator’s skin. Also called fatigue (load-bearing) cracking, the result is potholes, which further damage the asphalt.

How-to-fix: Temporary fixes involve using polymer-based crack fillers and then applying seat coating. The permanent fix is a full-depth repair that requires expert contractors and heavy machinery.

• Upheaval:

The seal coating protects the exposed surface of the pavement, but water can intrude to the subgrade and cause soil expansion. This causes the pavement to seem risen in places and bumpy. Excess moisture in the subgrade and freezing temperatures can also cause soil expansion.

How-to-fix: There is no DIY fix for this failure since it is structural. Frost heaving requires a full-depth asphalt patch.

A little bit of love goes a long way to ensure that your pavement doesn’t give up on you. At Garden State Paving & Seal Coating, we help with free consultations and a range of asphalt repairs, but we also care that you, as our potential client know how to arrest any pavement cracks until we can get there to assist with our services. If you’re in Mt. Laurel, NJ, then we’re the repair contractors for you!