Through carefully planning and using special equipment, civil engineers and construction workers design and pave durable roads. Let’s walk through the step-by-step process of paving a road.
#1 Road and Highway Designers
Civil engineers design roads, and while doing so, they consider special factors like traffic loads and environmental impacts. As roads are designed, existing surfaces are demolished. The ground is gouged out to the required depth in order to have a stable foundation.
#2 Getting A Solid Base
The soil beneath the road is graded and compacted, which provides a solid base. If the soil is weak, materials like lime or cement are added to the soil to make it stronger. Drainage systems are also installed, helping to prevent water accumulation.
#3 Road Base and Binder Layers
When a road starts being built, two layers are laid down. The first layer is a road base, and is usually made of crushed stone, which helps prevent cracking. The second layer is called the Binder. It’s made of coarse aggregate mixed with bitumen. This layer provides structural strength and is compacted with heavy rollers that ensures durability.
Asphalt vs. Concrete Roads
The finishing touches to an asphalt road is different than that of a concrete road.
On asphalt roads, a hot mix asphalt is laid on top of the binder layer with a paving machine, and is then compacted with rollers. Asphalt roads can cool and harden within hours but may take a few days to have full strength.
On concrete roads, the concrete is poured and spread. Construction workers use trowels or screeds to help level the road. Joints are put into the concrete to prevent cracking. Concrete roads may need several days to cure. Construction workers may spray water or cure compounds to help prevent the concrete from drying too quickly. Once the pavement is dry on these roads, road markings are painted on and signs and guardrails are later installed.
When everything is complete, engineers inspect it for any defects. After the road is inspected, the road is open for travel.
Avail Valley Construction: Road Paving
Avail Valley Construction customizes in paving roads. We make our own gravel, sand, and construction materials at our own gravel pits. We transform raw materials into various types of gravel and sand that we use to make asphalt and concrete. This allows us to have high quality material for the asphalt and concrete roads we construct.
Request a bid on our website today for a new road construction