Many Atlanta area businesses require the use of large parking facilities to accommodate both customers and employees. The volume, concentration, and vehicle-pedestrian mix typical of large, commercial parking lots, however, creates major safety hazards. Slip and fall accidents are also very common in parking facilities and can lead to serious injuries as well as expensive lawsuits.
While some of the safety hazards of parking lots are inescapable and others can be minimized by implementing better traffic control measures and educating employees on parking lot safety practices, other safety hazards are caused by poor pavement conditions. Resurfacing or rehabilitating a deteriorating asphalt surface is a necessary maintenance expense that will greatly reduce the risk of injury and property damage on your company’s parking lot.
The upper layer of asphalt on your parking lot is designed to flex under pressure and deflect weight load to the supporting layers below it. When long exposure to heavy pressures create ruts or uneven surfaces, these dips can lead to further deterioration. They can also cause trips and falls, for even a height difference of a half inch is enough to cause a pedestrian to lose his or her balance.
Early Stage of Asphalt Decay
Small fissures lines, larger cracks, and occasional pot holes will also begin to develop as the pavement surface is worn by year after year of weather and vehicle traffic. These early stages of asphalt decay can only lead to more serious weakening later on. Once the lower layers begin to crumble, the pavement will have to be entirely rebuilt, at least in those areas where the support structure has been compromised.
As the asphalt wears, it can lose its surface friction, which increases the chances of vehicles sliding and colliding. As the pavement becomes more and more dangerous, drivers will become more and more distracted with navigating around bumps and potholes, which only increases the chances of an accident. By filling in eroded areas and overlaying the entire parking lot with a fresh coat of asphalt, you can reduce parking lot safety hazards to an absolute minimum.
Hot-Mix Asphalt
Most resurfacing involves laying down hot-mix materials, which include stone, gravel, sand, and liquid asphalt. Optionally, you can also insert a layer of moisture-resistant fabric between the old and new asphalt to add extra strength. Hot-pour resurfacing can extend the life of pavement for 16 to 20 years, and will greatly reduce the risks involved in walking or driving through your company’s parking lot.
If your pavement’s safety level is getting low, Dykes Paving, a local Atlanta pavement restoration company, offers excellent parking lot resurfacing and rehabilitation services. We have experienced personnel necessary to quickly transform your parking facility into a much less accident-prone environment. Contact us today and your new, safer parking facility will cure and be ready for use within a few hours of application.
