Asphalt is environmentally friendly because it’s 100% recyclable and uses less energy to produce than other pavement materials. Old tires and shingles can be repurposed as asphalt pavement, which helps reduce landfill space and conserve natural resources.
The smooth texture of asphalt pavements decreases vehicle friction and wear, lowering fuel consumption and carbon emissions. This helps to protect the environment, vehicles, and their drivers.
Safer Roads
Asphalt roads provide a smoother ride for cars, trucks, and buses. This reduces tire wear and fuel consumption.
Roads paved with asphalt allow for better water drainage, which helps prevent potholes and heaves from forming. This extends the life of the road.
It is also possible to recycle asphalt pavement materials, reducing the need for mined aggregates. The asphalt recycling process is efficient and produces fewer greenhouse gases.
Asphalt paving projects require less time than concrete construction, meaning traffic can flow more easily. This is great for businesses and travelers, reducing congestion and the associated costs. Also, it reduces the chance of workers inhaling hazardous fumes.
Reduced Noise Pollution
Asphalt is known for its skid resistance, making it the airline industry’s material of choice for runway and taxiway surfaces. It also helps to melt ice and snow, making the roads safer for drivers.
Asphalt pavement mixes can be “tailor-made” to support each road’s traffic load and climatic conditions. This reduces construction times and allows for the road to be open to traffic as soon as it’s finished being paved.
Quiet asphalt pavements help to reduce highway noise, minimizing the need for expensive and unsightly sound barriers. Porous asphalts also improve water drainage, reducing urban runoff and flooding. They can even be designed to redirect rainwater into soils for natural water storage and reuse.
Increased Attractiveness
Asphalt can be molded to look like many different paving materials, increasing the curb appeal for homes. It’s also very durable and requires less maintenance than other paving materials.
Asphalt doesn’t require as long to cure as concrete, meaning roads and parking lots are ready for traffic much sooner after paving. This is particularly beneficial for busy roadways or commercial parking lots, reducing the number of delays for drivers and workers.
Additionally, asphalt can withstand the heat of the summer sun and the freezing and thawing cycles of winter. This flexibility significantly benefits the environment and helps reduce vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. A good asphalt paving near me stays updated on design trends. Inquire about their knowledge of current trends in patterned paving and how they incorporate them into their projects.
Reduced Maintenance Costs
Asphalt requires less energy to install and maintain, reducing costs. It uses recycled materials like old shingles, road debris, and glass to reduce environmental impacts – good news for your wallet and the planet.
The dark color of asphalt increases visibility, making roads, driveways, and parking lots more visible at night. Asphalt is also able to absorb noise, helping reduce traffic noise pollution. Consistent maintenance prevents cracking and potholes, saving money on costly repairs. Asphalt can also be ‘tailor-made’ to support a specific road’s load and climatic conditions. This can significantly improve the life cycle of a road.
Increased Fuel Efficiency
Asphalt requires less energy to produce than other pavement materials. This helps reduce overall GHG emissions from manufacturing and construction.
The asphalt industry is also taking steps to increase the use of renewable natural gas for fuel at its plants. This decreases the carbon footprint of asphalt production significantly.
Roadways made of asphalt are smoother and safer for drivers and can help improve vehicle fuel efficiency. This is due to the lower amount of friction created by the tires moving over the surface.
Asphalt can also be constructed in much less time than other paving materials, meaning fewer delays for travelers and business owners.
Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Before sustainability became popular, the asphalt paving industry was already taking steps to minimize its environmental footprint. For instance, asphalt plants utilize RAP (reclaimed aggregate pavement) in their mixtures, reducing energy consumption and emissions associated with raw materials extraction, transport, and processing.
The paving industry is also working towards carbon neutrality. This goal involves achieving net zero carbon emissions from production and construction of pavements.
To do this, asphalt plant operators must encourage alternative fuel use to reduce emissions from equipment, promote WMA technology that lowers production and placement temperature for asphalt pavement mixtures, and work with owners on alternate construction scheduling to reduce energy usage during roadwork.