patching a paved road?

st1c2 · May 26, 2005

ok maybe this is not the correct forum to ask a question like this but most of you guys seem to be like myself, "if some other guy can do it, so can i". so here is my problem. i live on a private road. it has been paved by the government in the past, but about 15 years ago they figured it out and that was it for free paving. now it is deteriorating......pot holes over night it seems like. concrete only lasts 6 months +-. i am ready to start cutting the pavement with my chop saw and patching it with HOT pavement i can purchase close by.
WILL THIS WORK or do we need to have it paved by a contractor? the road is about $25000.00 long
(more than 1/2 mile).
please let me know if any of you have attempted some thing like this.

Egon · May 27, 2005

Patching versus repaving is decision that can only be made by a site evaluation that would include proper drainage etc.

If few patches are required the hot pavement with a little roller will work well. Make sure the patch has been well dug out and the surrounding pavement is hard and solid. Coat the edges with a " Tack Coat " to get bonding.

When the patches start to be the road perhaps it's time to think of other solutions.

One may be to tear up the old pavement, pulverize it, mix with a bituemenous based oil suitable for your area and lay it back down while packing it. Any road imperfections can also be fixed while doing this.

Handling hot asphalt for patches ain't no fun.

Egon

Highbeam · May 27, 2005

Be sure to throw a piece of plywood in your truck before they drop the hotmix into the bed.

Cut the patch hole square and oversized, tack is good but not required. Then shovel in the hotmix. The roller or compactor need to ride on the good asphalt so that the patch won't be a hump or a dip. I have seen plate compactors used which can be rented. I would recommend the hot tar on top to seal the joint whether you used tack on the sides or not. The materials are pretty cheap and even a crumby job is better than a pothole so give it a try.

When our roads in town get to be too patchy, we have them chip seal the surface. A light tar is distributed across the entire road and then a smallish (1/2 or so) clean crushed rock is spread on top of it. The tar seals the road and the rock provides traction. Lots of roads are built like this cheaply here in the NW. The roads look really good after this treatment.

Of course the first thing to do is find out why you have potholes and deal with that.

froggy · May 27, 2005

Is there a good place on the web that discusses road building? I have looked, but cannot seem to find one.

st1c2 · May 27, 2005

Thanks for the reply Egon. I heard about the material called "tack" earlier last week. So far no company in Nashville will sell it to me!! They all say i need to be bonded (good-ol' epa i guess). Maybe someone can suggest an alternate material other than tack.
I also have made provisions to handle the hot mix, i built an insulated box for my trailer. I hope it works.
steve

st1c2 · May 27, 2005

Thanks for the reply Hibeam. I have started cutting the holes out not necessarily square but straight edged and 4" deep. i can't buy "tack" i'm not bonded. but it seems that tar would work fine to me. So off i am next week to see if i can purchase "tar"???
As for the reason for the holes, i researched "asphalt" and found a life cycle analysis curve. Imagine this, the curve indicated asphalt will start to fail between 15 and 20 years of age. so it looks like my work will be cut-out (so to speak) for me over the next few years.
steve

st1c2 · May 27, 2005

Froggy i have not looked for a road building site.
For the road i built on my property i just started down the hillside digging out the high side with my backhoe and pilling it on the low side. This worked good but MAN was it ever scarry. The road is holding really well. I packed it as i moved the material to the low side, every bucket full. The hill is VERY steep, high side cut is minimum 42" and the road is only about 7' wide.
I am confident i could drive my fullsize truck on it.
good luck
steve

Soundguy · May 28, 2005

I'll just address the topic of a durable asphalt patch that's easy to do.. and should last.

First.. wait till it's dry.. then, clean the edges on the hole up. if its a sloping hole.. use a chissle and hammer.. or shovel edged to square the sides up.. you don't want a thin patch that taper out to nothing.. that will scab and lift in no time..... sweep the hole out.. now.. if its way deep, and you don't want to waste asphalt.. dig some of the crushed rock out.. and then refill with more of the same crushed rock.. tamp down very good. Find some bituminous material.. asphalt paint, roofing tar, driveway patch/sealer.. anything like that should work.. the key is to get a prime or tack coat. That helps your asphalt bond to the crushed rock. If it's not too deep.. just prime and add asphalt and tamp..

Now.. after primed.. add your hot or cold patch asphalt.. loop in ( rake works fine ) and then tamp the heck out of it. try to make it match the existing contour to make it feel better when driving.

Soundguy

arkydog · May 28, 2005

If you dont have axcess to a roller, would a 3/4" piece of plywood and drive over it with a 1/2 ton truck do the trick?

Soundguy · May 29, 2005

Not anywhere close... A truck tire is already at a low ground pressure value.. in other words.. low pounds per square inch. Take the weight of the truck, divide it between the 4 or 6 tires square inches of contact area... probably not much dead compaction weight to speak of. The plywood further difusses that.

Better would be a tamp tool.. heavy iron handle with a 3" or 4" square end on one side for packing around pipes.. or tamping asphalt. I've seen 6" square ones too. Usually has a sharp pic on the other end. Makes a good tamp for compacting asphalt, or picking apart asphalt.

Soundguy