Parking Lot Repair & Maintenance Services for Minnesota Businesses

Your business’s parking lot is more than just somewhere to keep parked vehicles. It’s the welcome mat for your entire premises, forming a critical part of employees’, guests’, and visitors’ first impressions. If your parking lot is pristine, it signals professionalism. If it’s broken down and damaged, it says your company can’t keep its own house in order, let alone anybody else’s.

For commercial property owners in Minnesota in particular, ongoing parking lot maintenance is an essential element of financial strategy. Proactive maintenance plans are far more economical than reactive ones, which only resolve problems once damage is done.

In this guide, we explore how Minnesota’s climate can be a brutal environment for asphalt and common pavement distresses in the state. By the end, you’ll understand why businesses trust Metro Paving to support their parking lot maintenance.

Minnesota’s brutal climate

Minnesota has one of the most brutal climates in the US, which takes its toll on parking lots. The state experiences regular sub-zero temperatures that lead to freeze-thaw weathering cycles, where liquid water seeps into cracks in paved surfaces and then expands when temperatures plunge below 32°F.

Compounding these issues are the mechanical stress and chemical toll of winter maintenance operations. Snowplows are necessary, but they impose immense physical stress on uneven pavement joints, damaging the surface and subsurface over time and leading to deeper, more extensive water infiltration.

Understanding common pavement distresses

Asphalt paving in Minnesota experiences various types of distress. Here are some examples of issues that Metro Paving regularly diagnoses:

Cracking

As an asphalt and concrete company, we regularly see parking lots throughout the state with various forms of cracking. These can take the form of:

• Longitudinal and transverse cracking, where cracks run parallel or perpendicular to the pavement centerline.
• Alligator fatigue cracking, where cracks resemble the skin of an alligator and indicate severe stress in the underlying subbase.

Potholes

Potholes are another issue that results from unaddressed freeze-thaw weathering and water expansion. They pose an immediate hazard to vehicles, damaging tires and suspension components, and can be particularly hazardous to motorcyclists, who may not see them.

Drainage and standing water issues

Standing water can cause water to seep into the sub-base over time, rapidly accelerating the aging of the parking lot. Usually, these result from poor grading or drainage.

Faded striping and markings

Heavy traffic and UV lights combined with tire abrasion can fade striping and markings in car parks, making it harder for guests to see where to park and potentially violating the property’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Surface deterioration and raveling

Finally, Minnesota parking lots can experience raveling, which occurs when the binder holding the asphalt aggregate stones together breaks down. This type of erosion can penetrate into the entire depth of the surface, necessitating replacement. 

Engineered repair option

Fortunately, there are various engineered repair options to maintain parking lots in Minnesota.

Asphalt patching and pothole repair

Asphalt patching and pothole repair heats blend fresh material with the existing asphalt surface, compacting it for a seamless finish. At Metro Paving, we perform full-depth mill-and-fill repairs, repairing the sub-base and the top layer.

Rubberized seal cracks the ceiling

Rubberized crack sealing involves applying a rubberized polymer sealant to existing cracks. The compound is highly flexible and can expand and contract in Minnesota’s extreme weather shifts.

Commercial sealcoating

Commercial sealcoating shields parking lots from UV rays, oil spills, and chemical de-icers. It can be highly effective because of its defensive capabilities and restores asphalt’s natural deep black appearance.

Full pavement reconstruction

Finally, as asphalt contractors, we can offer full pavement reconstruction. This service is useful when subbases have failed or the paver’s lot has reached the end of its natural lifespan.

Why Minnesota businesses trust Metro Paving

Metro Paving is trusted throughout Minnesota for parking lot paving, maintenance, reconstruction, and repair. We operate under tight deadlines and budgetary constraints, aligning with your operational demands. 

Our project managers use phased scheduling, working around your peak operational hours, focusing on nights, weekends, and holidays when your commercial premises may not be as busy. Working with us protects your capital investment and manages your civil liabilities. We help you comply with Federal ADA Design Guidelines.

Schedule your complimentary parking lot evaluation

So, what are you waiting for? Don’t let another harsh winter destroy your parking lot. Schedule your evaluation with us today and get the proactive maintenance you need to lower your long-term capital costs.