Learn how and why your asphalt pavement degrades and what you can do to maintain your parking lot and keep pedestrians and motorists safe.

1. Maintaining A Safe Parking Lot:
small costs, BIG SAVINGS
Maintaining A Safe
Parking Lot: small costs,
Big Savings

2. Your parking lot is often the first thing people
notice when approaching your property.

3. Not only do you want to maintain your parking lot,
but you also want it to be SAFE.

4. It’s important to understand
how your parking lot can
go from this…

5. …to this.

6. The first step is to understand what happens to
your parking lot’s asphalt pavement. But first…

7. What Is
Asphalt Pavement?

8. Asphalt Pavement is also known as asphalt
concrete, AC, hot mix asphalt, or black top.

9. Asphalt is made up of a combination of
crushed rock (aggregate) and asphalt binder.

10. Asphalt provides a smooth surface, reduces
sound, and should have proper drainage.

11. Asphalt should be flexible. Flexibility is
extremely important so that asphalt can take
great loads and bounce back to its original
condition.

12. What happens to
pavement if it’s not
maintained?

13. UV radiation will break
down the asphalt binder
and weaken it so that the
binder can no longer hold
the rocks and sand, thus
gradually loosening the
top surface.

14. The first and most
obvious sign of
oxidation is the gradual
change in color of the
asphalt from black, to
brown, and finally to
gray.

15. Next, your parking lot begins to look rough
and piles of sand and seem to appear in the
low areas of the parking lot.

16. In the later stages of degradation raveling
takes place and the parking lot is rough
and extremely dirty because dirt and grass
fill the spaces where rocks were.

17. Due to oxidation, your pavement loses its
flexibility. As asphalt loses its flexibility, it
becomes brittle and begins to crack and
break.

18. When it rains, water seeps into the
cracks, creating larger cracks in your
pavement.

19. If left unprotected, your
pavement will
eventually need to be
repaved.

20. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)

21. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)
Next, the asphalt binder breaks down

22. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)
Next, the asphalt binder breaks down
Without the binder, aggregates come unglued & start raveling

23. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)
Next, the asphalt binder breaks down
Without the binder, aggregates come unglued & start raveling
Surface cracks develop (water seeps in & starts to damage base)

24. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)
Next, the asphalt binder breaks down
Without the binder, aggregates come unglued & start raveling
Surface cracks develop (water seeps in & starts to damage base)
Cracks widen (further damaged by water)

25. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)
Next, the asphalt binder breaks down
Without the binder, aggregates come unglued & start raveling
Surface cracks develop (water seeps in & starts to damage base)
Cracks widen (further damaged by water)
Base and Sub-base courses are damaged (load carrying capacity
is lost)

26. Review: Asphalt Pavement Breakdown
First, the top layer breaks down (due to exposure to the elements
and UV)
Next, the asphalt binder breaks down
Without the binder, aggregates come unglued & start raveling
Surface cracks develop (water seeps in & starts to damage base)
Cracks widen (further damaged by water)
Base and Sub-base courses are damaged (load carrying capacity
is lost)
End of Pavement Life

27. So what can you do to
maintain your
pavement?

28. Here’s 6 tips to maintain
(&protect) your
pavement

29. #1: Control load on
pavement

30. Have large vehicles access your property only if it
is necessary. For example, move garbage cans
near an entrance so garbage trucks don’t drive on
your pavement.

31. #2: Proper
drainage

32. Proper drainage is the key to prevent water from
penetrating your “roof” and destroying your base.

33. #3: Treating oil
spots

34. Gasoline and oil break down asphalt because
they are petroleum-based.

35. If left untreated, your
asphalt will soften and
the surface will
eventually corrode.

36. #4: Sweeping &
blowing

37. Sweeping your parking lot on a regular basis
keeps it free from hazards like loose aggregate
and glass.

38. If your parking lot is not cleaned
regularly, debris may hide cracks
and damaged asphalt leading to
failures that seem to appear
suddenly.

39. #5: Crack Filling

40. Fill existing cracks to stop water penetration into
the base. Water can enter cracks at gallons per
minute.

41. #6: Sealcoating

42. #6: Sealcoating
(the preferred method to maintaining &
protecting pavement)

43. Sealcoating seals the surface of your asphalt,
protecting it from the elements and preventing
water seepage.

44. Sealcoating also fills surface voids,
reducing exposure to oxygen,
moisture and UV rays.

45. Lastly, sealcoating provides a smooth, even
surface, making it easy to maintain.

46. Cost Comparison: Sealcoating is about
10x less expensive than paving.

47. Cost Comparison: Sealcoating is about
Keep your good pavement good!
10x less expensive than paving.

48. Cost Comparison: Sealcoating is about
Keep your good pavement good!
10x less expensive than paving.
And remember…

49. “The number one fault of agencies is that
they wait until a problem develops before
Larry Galehouse, P.E., executive director of National Center
for PP (NCPP) at Michigan State University
they address it.”

50. Now let’s talk about
how to keep your
parking lot safe.

51. Pavement
Marking &
Striping

52. Proper pavement markings and striping direct
motorists safely through your parking lot and
helps pedestrians to the nearest walkway.

53. Accessible
Parking Spaces

54. You need to have the minimum number of
accessible parking spaces.
A full copy of the parking rules is on the DCAB web site at:
www.hawaii.gov/health/dcab/.

55. You also need to make sure those accessible
parking spaces are the correct size.
A full copy of the parking rules is on the DCAB web site at:
www.hawaii.gov/health/dcab/.

56. Finally, you need to have the correct signs.
A full copy of the parking rules is on the DCAB web site at:
www.hawaii.gov/health/dcab/.

57. Parking Lot
Signs

58. Don’t forget that
parking lot signs
are important to
help guide
visitors safety to
their destination.

59. Regulations

60. Regulations
What are they and where do we find them?

61. MUTCD (Manual on
Uniform Traffic Control
Devices) general
principles and standard
traffic control device
designs should be
used in parking
facilities.

62. Sign Lettering and
Legibility- 30 feet of
legibility for each 1 inch
of letter height.

63. Standard Regulatory
and Warning Signs
must meet a minimum
reflectivity.

64. Let’s
review.

65. Parking Lot
Maintenance
• Control Load
• Proper Drainage
• Treat Oil Spots
• Sweep/Blow
• Crack Fill
• Sealcoat
Parking Lot
Safety
• Striping & Marking
• Accessible Parking
Spaces
• Parking Lot Signs

66. If you have any
questions, or would like
us to give you a free
consultation, feel free
to contact us.

67. If you have any
questions, or would like
us to give you a free
consultation, feel free
to contact us.
www.GPMaintenanceSolutions.com/content/contact-us
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