Asphalt Paving

Step 1, diagnose and set limits. We map cracking, rutting, settlement, ponding, previous utility cuts, and weak edges, then compare those conditions with drawings, geotechnical information, drainage elevations, and traffic use. Cores, test pits, proof rolling, or survey are used when surface appearance cannot show the remaining structure.

Step 2, remove and correct. Asphalt is sawcut or milled to clean limits. Unsuitable, wet, or pumping subgrade is undercut to firm material and replaced or treated under the design. Geotextile or geogrid is installed where specified, without presenting it as a substitute for drainage or adequate aggregate thickness.

Step 3, build the granular platform. Approved aggregate is placed in lifts that the compaction equipment can densify. Each lift is moisture conditioned, compacted, checked for grade and density where specified, and proof rolled. Catch basins, maintenance holes, valve boxes, curbs, and concrete aprons are set to the finished paving elevations before hot mix arrives.

Step 4, prepare joints and contact surfaces. Existing edges are cut back to sound, vertical faces are cleaned, and tack coat is applied at joints and between asphalt lifts as specified. The paving plan limits cold longitudinal joints, identifies handwork around structures, and keeps truck exchange from stopping the paver unnecessarily.

Step 5, place and compact each lift. Mix tickets, weather, delivery temperature, mat temperature, yield, and lift thickness are monitored. The roller pattern uses breakdown, intermediate, and finish rolling appropriate to the mix and work area. Joint faces are built and pinched while the material remains compactable.

Step 6, verify drainage and finish the site. Harrowgate checks surface tolerance, crossfall, transitions, and inlet capture before demobilizing. Deficient areas are corrected while access remains. Once the surface is ready, pavement markings, accessible stalls, wheel stops, signs, and other traffic controls are installed to the approved plan.

We start by confirming the subgrade has been proof rolled, approved, and graded to the design template. Soft, saturated, or unsuitable material is identified and corrected before granular placement begins, not buried under it. Granular base and subbase are placed and compacted in controlled lifts to the specified density, with structures, valve boxes, and drainage inlets set to finished grade in advance so the paving crew is not working around late adjustments.

Binder course asphalt is placed first where the design calls for a two-lift structure, compacted while hot, and checked for grade, cross slope, and thickness before the surface course follows. Joints between passes and against existing pavement or curbs are cut clean, tacked, and compacted so they do not become the first place the pavement fails.

Surface course asphalt is placed to the finished grades shown on the site plan, with cross falls and swales built to route water to the catch basins and away from building entrances, loading docks, and accessible routes.

Compaction is verified with rollers matched to the mix and lift thickness, not a single pass regardless of the material. We check mat temperature, joint density, and surface tolerance as paving proceeds, so problems are caught while the asphalt is still workable instead of after it has cooled. Once the surface has cured, line marking, wheel stops, bollards, and signage are installed to the approved layout.

Our process runs the same way on every site. We start with a call or a submitted plan, walk the site to measure the paved area, confirm subgrade condition, drainage, and access, and return a written quote scoped to the actual site conditions. Once approved, Harrowgate performs the excavation, granular, and paving work to the design, and closes out with a walkthrough, compaction records where specified, and a marked-up plan of what was built.