Road construction season may seem more like a nuisance than a necessity. Commuters often take for granted what a valuable resource asphalt is for our roadways, economy, and environment. In fact, asphalt is one of the most crucial materials available in our country with more than 93% of highways and roads being paved. Another positive aspect of asphalt is that it is highly recyclable and poses little to no negative effect on our air quality and surroundings.

Here are 10 more interesting facts you may not know about asphalt For every $1 billion of federal spending invested in highway construction nationwide, nearly 28,000 jobs are supported.  More than 90 percent of parking areas in the U.S. are surfaced with asphalt pavement, the material of choice for most commercial and residential development owners.   Porous asphalt pavements are increasingly used as a low-impact development, stormwater management tool to handle runoff more cost-effectively than traditional stormwater infrastructure.  Recycling asphalt roads saves American taxpayers more than $300 million each year.  80 percent of old asphalt pavement removed each year is re-used.  Asphalt occurs naturally in both asphalt lakes and rock asphalt (a mixture of sand, limestone, and asphalt). The first recorded use of asphalt as a road-building material was in Babylon around 625 B.C.   A study by the Federal Highway Administration found that smoother pavements can reduce fuel consumption by trucks by up to 4.5 percent.   During ancient Egyptian times, asphalt from the Dead Sea was an important item of trade with the most widespread use in the mummification process.  Asphalt paving construction can be completed quickly, reducing traffic delays for both commuters and long-haul truckers.  Research shows that asphalt reduces highway noise by 3 to 5 dB(A) or more. 

Asphalt has made a prominent societal, economical, and environmental impact on both ancient and modern civilization. It’s cost efficiency, reduction in noise pollution, improved safety, and comfort, durability and recyclability make it a key factor in continued socio-economic growth. New technologies and applications make this material not only one of the past, but a vital element of our future.

Do you own a business?

If you do you probably try your best to keep the appearance of the storefront or office up. You most likely have a staff or a cleaning service dedicated to keeping things clean.

You also decorate, paint and buy new wall hangings, light fixtures, and furniture so that your customers and clients enjoy being at your business.

This is very smart of you! Humans are very visual creatures and if they see that a store is dirty and doesn’t keep up on appearances they may opt to shop or do business somewhere else even if the alternative is more expensive. Most companies are aware of this and try their hardest to make their business a visually attracted and appreciated one! Good for them! But what some companies may overlook is the importance of not only keeping the inside of your business looking nice but also the outside (we are talking about the parking lot).

When a customer drives by the first thing they see aside from the building your business is in is the parking lot. If your parking lot is dirty, has potholes cracks and just isn’t visually appealing they may assume that the inside will be the same so they decide to drive a few more miles to find the alternative business.

Summertime is heating up here in Boise, and we're all hitting the pavement for walks, runs, bike rides, and parades. Particularly in a dry climate like ours, summer can mean dirty pavement that doesn't get washed with rain. That means it's time for pavement sweeping.

Pavement Sweeping with Pavement Specialties

We offer a variety of pavement sweeping options, and our crews are always available with state-of-the-art equipment to get your pavement in great shape. Whether you just need a seasonal cleaning for your neighborhood or want to sign up for regular pavement sweeping for your business, we've got your needs covered.

Business Sweeping

It's crucial that parking lots and garages are thoroughly maintained to keep costs down. That's why we encourage every business owner to consider pavement sweeping a number one priority. Regular pavement sweeping for your parking lot will reduce and slow deterioration on your asphalt, as well as keep your pavement looking sharp with fewer cracks and potholes. Regular sweeping can lower your costs significantly.

It's also important to keep your pavement clear for customer perception and safety. Your storefront will receive an instant facelift when your pavement is swept clean and looks great.

Debris Removal

We provide sweeping services for roadways, parks, and construction sites and can remove debris such as sand, heavy soils, and stones. The summer months are full of projects and construction initiatives, and we're happy to do our part in keeping Boise beautiful during these jobs. Our sweeping services help maintain roads and keep them in serviceable shape, reducing the need for resurfacing and crack remediation.

If you're interested in any of our sweeping services and would like a quote, contact our Boise office today.

When we slip behind the steering wheel, our attention must automatically be everywhere at once: our car, our passengers, the other drivers, the weather conditions--the list is almost endless. However, one of the most important parts of driving is our relationship with the road itself. As drivers, we must pay a lot of attention to the road. Although it is, in its simplest form, a stretch of asphalt that has been lovingly adorned with painted lines and arrows, the road is one of the things we rely on most heavily when we get behind the wheel. Because of this reliance, it is important to know about the roads we use every day--and chip sealing is just one more thing that demands our attention.

Chip Sealing

Chip sealing is a relatively common occurrence on low-traffic roads. The process consists of a fine film of heated asphalt being sprayed over the road. This is followed by the placement of small aggregates--the chips that lend chip sealing its name, which are then compacted for a strong and reliable union with the asphalt. The results? A better surface on which to drive, a more efficient road, and a whole lot of happy drivers.

The Basics

As drivers, it is our responsibility to know about the roads we navigate. Here are some things you need to know about chip sealing so that you can get the most out of those local roads.

Driving. Although it seems like second nature to avoid a road that has recently been coated or fixed, chip sealing is unique in that it does not keep drivers from the road. You can drive on a freshly chip sealed road--just be careful not to brake sharply within the first few hours of placement to avoid interfering with the adhesion process. Appearance. A chip seal coating does look different than regular asphalt. The chip seal lends a rough, rocky appearance to the road and is generally bulkier than asphalt. Purpose. Chip sealing serves many purposes. It allows cities to maintain roads at cheaper costs, eliminates the need for inconvenient crack sealing, improves skid resistance, and minimize black ice. Plus, it doesn't require roads to be shut down for long hours after application, making it effective and efficient.

At the heart of almost everything we do, there is a road. Roads unite the world, connecting people to their homes, their favorite stores, their travel destinations, and, most importantly, to each other. Although most of us will use a variety of roads every day, we rarely stop to give much thought to those stretches of painted asphalt that can lead us almost anywhere we want to go. Today, we'll take a close look at the construction of asphalt pavements--not only for a better appreciation of the roads we rely on so much, but for an interesting view on the real work that goes into creating those roads.

Porous Asphalt Pavements

Considering how much we do on the porous asphalt pavements that make up our road systems, the construction process is fairly simple. The required material is manufactured in almost every asphalt plants across the country, and the brain of the operation needs only to be a qualified asphalt pavement contractor--no specific certification is necessary. However, while the construction is straightforward, precision is crucial: the success of this job will impact the lives of many.

The Basics

Constructing porous asphalt pavement is a big job. Here's a quick look at the basics of the process.

Step One: Excavation. The success of a paving job rests on the success of the excavation. The area where the pavement will reside must first be marked off, and it is then excavated--usually using equipment like backhoes. Step Two: Filter Fabric. Filter fabric is used to protect the newly excavated bed from sediment until the permanent asphalt is placed. This filter fabric is carefully overlapped and extends slightly out of the bed for complete protection. Step Three: Aggregate. Aggregate is used for the stone recharge bed. Its placement must be precise so as not to damage the filter fabric--it is layered at the edge of the bed with track equipment and carefully compressed. Step Four: Asphalt. The porous asphalt is placed in layers of varying thickness. Depending on the location in question, state or national guidelines must be followed. The layer is allowed to cool and is then compacted with a few passes of a ten-ton static roller. Within 24 hours, traffic will be able to traverse the newly-paved road.