How to Extend the Life of Your Asphalt Pavement in Minnesota

If you’re a commercial property manager, you’ll know that asphalt pavements represent a significant capital outlay for your organization. Unfortunately, Minnesota weather can be harsh, causing asphalt paving to age the moment it’s laid down. Because of this, it’s critical to understand the threats that it faces and the core pillars of preventative maintenance. That’s exactly what we explore in this post.

The environmental threats to asphalt in Minnesota

Minnesota’s geography means that asphalt paving is constantly under threat. As such, developing effective maintenance programs with asphalt contractors is essential. But what are the risks they can help you mitigate?

Extreme freeze-thaw weather cycles

The single biggest cause of asphalt patching in Minnesota is the state’s extreme temperature variations. It’s possible for temperatures to rise as high as 80°F during the day and then plunge to 20°F at night, leading to repeated cycles of freezing and thawing water. 

When water is liquid, it penetrates the porous surface of unsealed asphalt and seeps into cracks. Then, when it freezes (usually overnight) the water expands, pushing the material apart from within and causing extensive damage.

Unfortunately, water expands by around 9% when it freezes, causing it to exert immense pressure on the surrounding matrix. Over many cycles, this leads to severe fracturing, increasing the risk of frost heaves and potholes.

Unmanaged water drainage

Unmanaged water drainage is also an issue for many surfaces in Minnesota. Parking lots and roadways often have poor grading and inadequate catch basins, leading to standing water that pools over time. 

Standing water is a problem because it breaks down the liquid asphalt binder that holds the stone aggregates together. When the binder loses consistency, the surface is more likely to disintegrate.

Escalating traffic volume

Finally, Minnesota is experiencing increasing traffic volumes and more vehicles carrying heavier loads. Delivery trucks and snowplows exert large structural stress on the underlying asphalt material, leading to rutting (depression along wheel paths) and structural alligator cracking.

The core pillars of preventative maintenance

Fortunately, asphalt investments can be maintained with the right maintenance cycle. A programmatic preventative model is superior to reactive repairs and increases surface lifespan.

Here are some options for preventative maintenance:

• Crack filling and sealing: This is the most cost-effective preventative measure. If a linear crack develops due to thermal stress or another reason, it is cleaned of debris and then filled with a rubberized hot-pour sealant.
• Professional seal coating: Seal coating is a protective shield for the pavement, composed of coal-tar or asphalt emulsion. It injects the pavement with essential oils, blocking damaging UV rays and preserving flexibility.
• Asphalt patching: This solution prevents damage from spreading by applying a thin layer of hot-mix asphalt over depressed areas. It’s ideal for potholes and alligator cracking.
• Asphalt overlays: Suitable for aging pavements that show extensive surface wear but retain their structural integrity. The overlay is an economic alternative to full reconstruction.

Of course, any preventative maintenance should include routine inspections and assessments. Ideally, you should conduct these twice yearly, especially before the winter freeze or summer rain can exploit minor damage or cracks in existing paving. Mapping the cracks and drainage slopes can reduce freeze-thaw weathering and prevent water pooling on the surface.

Proactive versus reactive costs

Delaying contact with an asphalt and concrete company is costly, which is why we strongly recommend against reactive maintenance. If you delay, it can increase your long-term operational capital costs and boost expenditure down the road. 

You can calculate the costs of a proactive program of maintaining an asphalt service surface compared to a reactive program. For example, a proactive program on a 50,000 sq ft commercial parking lot in the state might include:

• Regular crack sealing and inspections
• Premium seal coating treatments
• Targeted catch basin repair and minor patching 

This might cost $45,000 over a 15-year period. 

Compare that to a reactive approach, where you perform no maintenance in the first 10 years and then perform a full year-15 structural failure reconstruction requiring complete milling and reconstruction, with a total cost of $150,000.

Partner with Metro Paving

If you want to better manage your commercial asphalt assets in Minnesota and you need deep local experience from concrete companies, then get in touch with Metro Paving. Our experts can reduce your long-term maintenance costs and help you extend the life of your asphalt services in the state. 

We take the guesswork out of pavement care with our multi-year maintenance programs and custom engineering.