The American landscape has grown in the last 75 years to contain asphalt in every state. Asphalt makes for a very stable road that can last for quite some time with very little maintenance. America’s roads have been paved with tons of asphalt over the years. In today’s America, there are over 80 billions tons of asphalt on the roads. We travel great distances in this country on the smooth surfaces that contractors have paved with asphalt.
Asphalt driveways have become the most common type of driveway. It’s quick to install, very easy to maintain, and driveway repair can be handled with relatively little trouble. It’s estimated that 90% of the parking spaces in the Untied States are surfaced with asphalt, making it the obvious go-to paving surface when new parking lots are being built for businesses, churches, schools, and the like.
Experts in surfacing with asphalt are not too hard to find in the US. Across the United States alone, there are somewhere around 3,500 asphalt mix productions sites. These productions sites mix the asphalt that is then used for a variety of different paving projects, many of them are residential driveways. If you have an asphalt driveway installed and it’s done correctly, you can expect it to last somewhere around 20 years before you would need a driveway repair or a full replacement.
The other option for driveway material is concrete. Your driveway contractor could explain all of the pros and cons of asphalt versus concrete as they each have different things to recommend them. Concrete driveways, if installed properly and are maintained properly, can last up to 50 years. This is obviously a plus. However, an asphalt driveway is much less expensive to install. At the same time, however, asphalt is much easier to maintain and if you find yourself in need of a driveway repair, it can be much easier to have done.
One of the other drawbacks to concrete is the possibility of damage during the winter months if the wrong de-icing product is used. If you have hired someone to take care of your icy driveway in the winter, make sure you are both on the same page when it comes to de-icing the surface. With an asphalt driveway, this is less of a concern in the winter months. In the summer months, however, an asphalt driveway can become extremely hot, depending on where you live.
If you are trying to decide between an asphalt surface or a concrete surface for your driveway, the first thing you should consider is where you live. Ask your driveway contractor what would be the best option for your local climate. If your location doesn’t play much of a factor, you could then consider price points. While a concrete driveway does tend to last longer than an asphalt driveway, the length of time largely depends on upkeep. If you need a driveway repair along the way and have small problems fixed, yur asphalt driveway can give you many great years.