Asphalt repair is important for your business. There are two primary reasons why your parking lot should be in good condition. One is aesthetics. You want to make a good impression on anyone who visits your business. Good upkeep of the physical plant with parking lot repairs sets the stage for everything else.
The second reason to repair your parking lot is referred to as "premises liability" in the language of personal injury law. Any accidents such as a trip-and-fall or damage to a vehicle might be grounds for a lawsuit. In many states, all costs from medical care, long-term therapy, medications, lost time from work and pain and suffering can be calculated into an award. If a pothole or other asphalt hazard leads to an injury, the owner and management company can be held financially responsible for substandard pavement conditions. But the opposite can be true as well: Demonstrated attention to timely asphalt repairs can help steel your defense against such lawsuits.
All asphalt and concrete pavement is subject to atrophy over time. The older the pavement, the more likely the parking lot needs asphalt repair.
But special circumstances can accelerate damage to a parking lot. If heavy industrial vehicles roll over the pavement, it can cause pavement cracks. Other factors that can damage existing pavement are: utility cuts (including those for fiber optics), installation of drains and sewers, and tree roots.
Surface breaks of any kind – including those that result from seasonal temperature fluctuations and extreme weather – allow moisture to percolate below the surface, where it undermines the integrity of the pavement. In freeze-thaw conditions, water turned into ice expands, creating room for more water and additional instability. As the pavement crumbles, a pothole opens up. But even without freezing, the layers of gravel and earth below the pavement are compromised and require asphalt repair.
Crack seals can help hold back this moisture invasion, as can minor pothole repairs.
The risks include how your business can appear to be crumbling along with the asphalt itself. For any organization that invests in marketing or employee recruitment, a deteriorating parking area can reduce returns on those investments. Of course, if you are selling your property, broken pavement can be a distraction and even a price-reducing negotiation point.
But the financial risk of a lawsuit stemming from a trip-and-fall accident can be very high: injuries from simple falls can include brain trauma and even death, which can bring legal judgments of a million dollars or more against the property owner. Your property insurance may cover your costs, or it may not. And as anyone who purchases insurance knows, a loss experience almost always leads to higher premiums for the policyholder.
With jagged edges, some property managers choose to use a sawcut. However, this is not required. This type of asphalt repair is done primarily for aesthetic reasons.
This is the place to learn more about how an asphalt repair can and should be done on your parking lot.
EZ Street cold patch was developed in the 1990s to serve as a permanent asphalt repair material. It is used on a commercial/industrial scale where and when repairs cannot wait: For example, many municipalities use it to repair potholes permanently in winter because hot asphalt plants may be closed and temporary cold patch will last as little as a few days. In remote areas of the world, it is the asphalt repair of choice because it can be stored for up to a year and applied as needed. It is strong enough for use on airport runway asphalt repairs and can adhere to surrounding pavement, even in wet conditions such as underground mines. EZ Street cold asphalt is used for asphalt and parking lot repair worldwide on hotel parking lots, casino parking lots, on military bases, shopping center and retail plaza parking lots, school driveways and parking areas, and office complex parking facilities – anywhere pavement plays a role in the business at hand.
EZ Street cold patch uses a proprietary polymer technology that allows it to quickly harden when compacted. With no heating required, it can be used any time of year to fill potholes. Standing water in a pothole will not affect its asphalt repair abilities: This allows use when a pothole is first discovered, not forcing a property manager to wait for dry conditions. And because heavy and specialized equipment is not required, anyone can use EZ Street cold asphalt to fix any asphalt or concrete pavement problem in parking lots, driveways anywhere!
