As asphalt ages, it begins to crack. This happens due to weathering, chemicals, and heavy traffic. Due to the harshness of winter weather, you may notice more cracks than ever come spring.
Why Asphalt Cracks in Winter
In the winter, asphalt goes through a freeze-thaw cycle. If moisture seeps into the pavement, it will freeze, expand and subsequently break the asphalt. Temperature fluctuation puts a lot of stress on the pavement, which is why most cracks appear in the winter.
How to Prevent Cracks in Winter
During cold winters, it can be difficult to prevent cracks in your asphalt parking lot. Sometimes, you cannot predict whether your asphalt will crack or not, regardless of how cold it is. You can, however, prevent cracks from becoming worse by making sure they are all filled before winter hits. Any damages to your parking lot will become worse in freezing conditions. The more you focus on preventative maintenance, the less you will have to worry about cracking. Be sure to keep this in mind during fall maintenance.
How to Fill Cracks in Winter
You cannot permanently fill the cracks during the winter, but you can have a permanent patch placed. This is known as cold patching. Cold patching will prevent your asphalt from incurring further damage. However, you will still have to patch the concrete permanently in the spring.
How Long Crack Filler Takes to Dry
When you can fill the cracks, the filler doesn’t technically dry. Instead, it hardens as it cools down. Within minutes, the asphalt may be safe to drive on. In the warmer months, we may dust over the cracks with black silica sand to speed up the cooling.
If you are tired of living with cracked pavement, contact NVM Paving & Concrete as soon as possible! We specialize in servicing commercial properties.
