As the roadways and parking areas of your community age they will require increased maintenance and repair. Typically, the useful life of an asphalt pavement system is between twelve (12) and fifteen (15) years. However, the actual useful life of a pavement system varies based upon many variables. Asphalt thickness, subgrade conditions, surface porosity and existing drainage conditions will dictate the economic useful life of a pavement system. While the initial useful life used in the association's reserve funding analysis may result in a given remaining useful life, the actual remaining economic life may actually be much lower.

Pavement deterioration occurs at an accelerated rate over time. Four major components of pavement degradation (premature or otherwise) are described in general terms as follows:

Sunlight and oxidation: Over time this combination will eventually cause the aggregate in the asphalt to ravel from the surface. This results in the pavement surface becoming “rough” and brittle. Cracks and areas of failure begin to form.

Water: The worst enemy of aging pavement, it enters the surface voids, cracks and failure areas and can weaken the structural capacity of the pavement causing existing cracks to widen and causing “potholes” to form. The freeze/thaw cycles of winter months will play havoc among these failures. Inadequate subgrade material or subgrade drainage will increase the severity and acceleration of the failures.

Pavement section: Deficient pavement thickness and/or deficient subgrade strength will cause premature failures from constant or increased loading (parked vehicles, garbage trucks, etc.).

Fuel and oils : These compounds will dissolve asphalt and create voids allowing for water infiltration and continued accelerated degradation.

Failure to identify, repair, or maintain the results of the above conditions will result in a reduced economic life of your pavement system and increased replacement costs.

To increase the economic life of a pavement system, a quality seal coat material (with a two coating application) should be applied over the bituminous pavement surface approximately five (5) or six (6) years after original installation. This material will act to seal superficial cracks and prevent water infiltration. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, sealcoating prevents water infiltration from occurring in small voids. However, the larger cracks in pavement should be cleaned of all debris and filled with a thicker sealant on a yearly basis. In addition, oil and gasoline areas should be properly cleaned and primed prior to a sealcoat application. As a pavement system ages, sealcoating becomes less and less cost effective and the existing condition of the pavement system should be analyzed prior to the expenditure of funds for the second employment of this maintenance technique.

The early detection and repair of pavement failure is, without a doubt, the most important task for extending the economic life of a pavement system. Surface cracks and other failures, which may be minimal, may develop into more costly defects if not properly repaired in a timely fashion. The pavement should be inspected on a yearly basis to document the areas of failure and determine the possible causes and repair solutions. Experienced personnel can recognize the cause of the problem(s) and recommend an effective repair. Competent inspection is essential to insure best use of available funds.

It is important that continued inspection and maintenance be performed on an aging pavement system. The complete reconstruction of pavement must be performed prior to the point in time where the above discussed accelerated degradation begins to occur. Pavement reconstruction prior to significant failure or degradation can significantly decrease the overall replacement costs. The reconstruction of a pavement system, even one year after this point in time, can result in increased overall reconstruction costs of as much as 50% . This added cost can be significant and the association may not have the funds available to finance the needed construction. Therefore, the pavement should be reconstructed (failures and drainage repaired and surface overlaid) at the point in time that the surface begins to exhibit signs of accelerated deterioration and not at the point in time where the deterioration has actually taken place.

As your association embarks on a pavement reconstruction project, it is necessary to determine the cause or causes of any failures or drainage problems. Repairs can then be made prior to the surface overlay which will not only correct the existing damage or deficiencies, but will also prevent their reoccurrence. Pavement cracks or failures left unrepaired or inadequately repaired will reoccur on the overlay surface rapidly. The expense for such repairs will significantly increase the economic life of the new pavement system as well as enhance and extend the aesthetic appearance of the community. Experienced professionals and qualified contractors are essential in achieving a quality final product for the community.

(As published in Community Trends magazine.)