Top 5 Reasons to Choose Asphalt for Constructing Roads
Asphalt roads or pavements are the combination of stone, sand or grovel bound together by making use of asphalt cement. Asphalt cement is a product manufactured from crude oil. The cement is heated and mixed with aggregate. This mixture is transported to the construction site by truck. There it is spread and compressed to a pavement.
A professional at one of asphalt road construction and maintenance services says that asphalt roads are opened for the traffic as soon as the pavement cools down. This requires few hours after the construction process is completed. One must note that, asphalt is a smooth, durable, ecological and cost-effective material and this is the reason why it is preferred to be used in the construction of roads. There are several other benefits of asphalt that make it the perfect material for pavement. Let’s have a look at them in detail.
1. Safe
Many of the asphalt road construction and maintenance services make use of asphalt as it increases the safety on the roads. As the material is smooth, the driving surfaces constructed using it is also smooth. This allows great contact of the vehicle tires with the road, making the ride safer.
Most of the crashes on the roads occur during rainy season due to splashes and sprays. However, a special type of asphalt called open graded asphalt when used for road construction prevents splashes during the rainy season. This helps in reducing the number of accidents and casualties on highways.
2. Cost Effective
Smoother roads are important not only for the safety of the vehicles and for those traveling in them, but also for saving the money. If the road is smooth, vehicle experiences fewer bumps and hence the wear and tear also reduces. This means that the operational cost of the vehicle goes down significantly. If the roads are smooth, the lifespan of the vehicle also increases significantly.
The consumption of the fuel by the vehicle lowers down due to the smoothness of the pavement. As reported by one of the reputed asphalt road construction and maintenance services, asphalt roads can be built more quickly and in cost effective manner than any other type of pavements. Additionally, they need the maintenance periodically in order to last for long. This means that the maintenance cost is also low.
3. Energy Efficient
As mentioned earlier, the smoothness of the road lowers down due to the smoothness of the road. Smooth roads made up of asphalt reduce the friction between the vehicle tire and pavement. This ensures a healthier fuel economy. It also helps in reducing the carbon emission by vehicle engine.
An expert from asphalt road construction and maintenance services states that, asphalt material is required to be heated in order to construct the road. However, there are special types of pavements called warm mix asphalt pavements are being used these days which can be constructed at lowers temperatures. This saves the energy required for heating up the material.
4. Beneficial to Travelers and Businesses:
At a time only one lane of asphalt road can be paved. Therefore, there is less disruption for the citizens when the road construction is going on. Asphalt road construction and maintenance services ensure speedy construction process in order to reduce congestion and save the time and money. Such projects can even be completed within a day or overnight leaving one side of the road open for the travelers and providing access to street for shops and businesses.
5. Eco-friendly
Asphalt is the product that can be recycled. Every year a huge amount of asphalt pavement is recycled and reused by asphalt road construction and maintenance services. The other wasted like vehicle tires are also reused in it which shows that it is eco-friendly options.
These are the Benefits of asphalts that have made it the most preferred material for road construction.