As a Fortune 500 company with an emphasis on home improvement, Lowe’s knows the importance of proper maintenance to ensure longevity and curb appeal. Lowe’s endeavors to maintain all aspects of their retail stores, including their asphalt pavements, to make sure that customers have a favorable impression of the company. When the Lowe’s store in Beaumont, Texas, needed a facelift, they contacted Alpha Paving for help.
Lowe’s | Beaumont, TX | The Original Job Requirements
The asphalt pavement was showing its age and was beyond practical repairs. The original job was to perform a 2.5-inch milling of the existing pavement and install an asphalt overlay. Asphalt overlays are a common, economical and effective way to bring an aging or damaged pavement back to life. Overlays are applied to existing pavements and, with proper maintenance, will look and last almost as long as new pavement.
The Challenges of the Job
For an overlay to be feasible, the foundation supporting the original pavement needs to be stable. While still in the early stages of the job, we realized that the foundation was far from stable. In fact, the integrity of the subgrade had been so compromised that our equipment began to sink.
Since we knew that the overlay would soon fail if the foundation issues were not addressed, we suggested that the client allow soil samples to be taken and analyzed. The analysis showed that the soil underneath the pavement was a type of vertisol, also known as gumbo. These types of soils tend to be very rich in silty clay, and when wet, the clay becomes quite sticky. Furthermore, clay swells during wet weather and contracts during the dry season. Repeated expansions and contractions allow the base and the pavement to move, resulting in extensive cracks, subsidence and potholes. In addition, gumbo tends to dry from the top down, which means that the top layer can be dry and deeply cracked, but underneath, the water remains trapped. The different layers of the soil begin to slip and slide, causing additional damages to the base and pavement.
An engineering firm was called in to determine the best corrective measures to take. After the engineering evaluation, we modified our project plan and proceeded with the job. This required removing a total depth of 14 inches through milling and installing two 3-inch layers of stone base with two layers of stabilizing fabric between them. We then installed 6 inches of black base and 2 inches of surfacing material.
During the project, the unseasonable amount of rain that fell made the job even more difficult. The rain caused constant delays and required us to be on the site for continual pumping. Despite the challenges faced, however, our employees performed admirably and professionally, delivering yet another job of exceptional quality.
Our Experience Counts
An asphalt contractor with less experience or who was not committed to delivering quality work might not have known how to address the many challenges presented by this job. However, Alpha Paving’s experience gave us the knowledge needed to ensure that the customer received long-lasting, quality work at affordable prices.
Alpha Paving Industries is full-service paving company, we are equipped to deliver all of your paving-related needs. Our services include asphalt overlays, milling, street maintenance, road construction, sealcoating, parking lot striping, asphalt repairs, concrete repairs and asphalt paving. We work with a wide range of clients, including national retailers, municipalities, HOAs, shopping malls, airports, hotels, manufacturing facilities, office parks, restaurants, schools and churches. To discuss your next project or request a free estimate, call (512) 677-9001 or fill out the online form.
