Sustainable Paving Solutions For Houston Businesses

Sustainable paving solutions for Houston businesses are intended to reduce waste and project costs, and they are usually deployed during full-depth reclamation jobs. By opting for sustainable paving methods, Houston businesses can secure the durable, reliable pavement they need with a reduced environmental impact (and budgetary impact) by working with a paving contractor that values sustainability.

What are Sustainable Paving Solutions?

The construction and pavement industries are constantly improving their technologies, with an eye toward better efficiency and better sustainability. This includes new and improved construction materials and paving processes that mitigate environmental impacts.

Chief among these advancements is full depth reclamation. This is a paving process that utilizes existing materials onsite to install a stabilized, recycled layer of asphalt. This is what the full depth reclamation process includes:

- Site assessment – First, your pavement team will assess the existing pavement and base to determine their condition and stability. This assessment will also consider expected traffic loads, weather, drainage and the subgrade’s load-bearing strength. Paving contractors will use this information to determine which additives will be necessary to guarantee a stable pavement surface.
- Milling and pulverization – The existing pavement is then pulverized (milled) down to a pre-specified depth, which is determined by its condition, thickness and composition. In addition to achieving the desired pavement thickness, milling frees up material from the pavement’s surface to be used during reclamation.
- Mixing – Following the milling phase, the pavement team will have plenty of material to use for the new base, which will sit under the new surface course of pavement. Of course, the pulverized material is not ready until it has been properly processed. Specifically, this means mixing the milled pavement with a stabilizing additive like cement, lime or emulsified asphalt in a reclaimer. The reclaimer acts like a portable high-temperature furnace, melting down the material and additive mix and blending them together to create a recycled, high-strength base course.
- Grading and compaction – With the recycled base course ready to go, the pavement team will install it over the existing subgrade and use motor grading machines. Grading establishes an ideal drainage slope to prevent water-related damage and is necessary to optimize the pavement’s lifespan.
  
  Once graded, the base is rolled out using a compactor, which provides additional stability and load-bearing capacity.
- Curing – Depending on the additives used in the new base course, it may be necessary to cure it before the surface course can be installed on top. This may take a few days, but it’s a critical step to ensure the base is chemically ready for additional work.
- Surface course – Once the recycled base layer is installed, stabilized and cured, your pavement team will install the pavement’s surface course. This could be a layer of hot mix asphalt, a chip seal or (less common) a layer of concrete.

What Are the Benefits of Sustainable Paving Solutions for Houston Businesses?

Sustainable paving solutions like full depth reclamation have obvious benefits for Houston businesses. Some of those benefits include:

- Reduced project costs – Sustainable paving solutions are usually available at a reduced cost because less virgin material is required, and the logistics are easier for project teams to manage. The exact cost savings are determined on a case-by-case basis, but full depth reclamation may cost anywhere from 25 to 50 percent less, compared to using virgin materials for the same job.
- Reduced virgin material use – Virgin materials refer to fresh quarried aggregate and other materials that haven’t been recycled prior to use. Extensive use of virgin materials has stressed local quarries, and it is now difficult to efficiently truck the material to project sites. This increases cost and lead times and has an outsized environmental impact.
- Reduced logistical complexity – With full depth reclamation, pavement teams have most of the material they already need onsite. That means fewer truck deliveries and simplified logistics, which will reduce the likelihood of delays or other project difficulties.
- Easier project compliance – Property owners are being held to an increasingly stringent set of local, state and federal environmental regulations. One effect of this is higher disposal costs at landfills, but there are many others. By opting for a green pavement solution, it will be easier to remain in compliance with any relevant environment regulations.

It is important to note that even with the above benefits, sustainable paving solutions like full depth reclamation provides pavement that is just as strong and long-lasting as pavement made with virgin materials.

Interested in Sustainable Paving for Your Houston Business? Work With an Expert Pavement Contractor

Sustainable paving solutions are the future for Houston businesses as environmental laws toughen and material costs continue to increase. These trends are unlikely to reverse anytime soon, so property owners should be ready to consider all the paving options available.

Sustainable, or “green” pavement solutions like full-depth reclamation are designed for modern construction limitations, including dwindling material supplies. Sustainable paving solutions are advanced processes that should be managed by an experienced pavement contractor that can ensure the job is done sustainably and efficiently.