Your facility’s parking lot is more important than you might realize. Without a sturdy, spacious lot for personnel, guests, customers, and vendors, your operations would quickly grind to a halt – your reputation would take a hit, too. As such, when designing or updating your industrial lot, you must consider which materials and layout options will best serve your business’s interests. You might not have to give it too much thought, however – whether out in the open or sheltered within a garage, most industrial and commercial parking lots are constructed from asphalt, and for good reason.
Let’s go over why asphalt paving is the best material for your industrial parking lot.
Reasons Asphalt Paving Is the Best Material for Your Industrial Parking Lot
Highly Durable
An industrial lot must contend with multiple pressures day in and day out. Not only must your parking lot endure the weight of cars, trucks, and heavy machinery – it must withstand regular foot traffic, variable weather conditions, pests, and other threats. Moisture is a major concern for any parking lot, as it can create hazards for vehicles and pedestrians when pooling up and cause material degradation. Though asphalt isn’t immune to moisture-related deterioration or other forms of wear and tear, it is designed to remain firm despite these threats. The porous nature of asphalt provides it with superior drainage capabilities, so water has a harder time sticking around. Likewise, asphalt is relatively easy to maintain with periodic inspections, cleaning, sealcoating, and resurfacing.
Quick to Install
Industrial facilities are often fast-paced – operational holdups can result in major financial losses, so renovations need to be handled as efficiently as possible, including industrial parking lot projects. Fortunately, asphalt parking lots are constructed relatively quickly. Whereas concrete usually needs about a week for complete installation and curing, asphalt paving can be done in as little as 2-3 days (depending on the project’s size and scope) and ready for use shortly after. Moreover, with proper maintenance, an asphalt parking lot won’t require major, time-consuming renovations all that often. Projects like crack-filling, cut-and-patch repairs, milling, and sealcoating don’t take long, so your industrial lot will remain usable for many years to come with minimal interruptions.
Cost-Effective
Budgets are tight for most businesses. Even if you’re working with loose margins, cost-saving measures are always welcome. Paving asphalt offers a great way to cut costs over the long term. Not only are asphalt projects quicker to complete than alternatives (as mentioned above) – the material itself is also generally cheaper than, say, concrete, partially because it’s recyclable. So, if you’re looking for a way to keep costs low, an asphalt parking lot is a solid investment.
More Sustainable Than Alternatives
Businesses and consumers are becoming more and more aware of their impact on the environment at large. Recycling has become one of the world’s go-to ways to reduce waste, and few materials are more recycled in the U.S. than asphalt. Indeed, recycled asphalt can be used over and over again on a multitude of paving projects. As mentioned above, this cycle makes asphalt cheaper, since fewer resources are required to extract raw materials. Industry is a major contributor to carbon emissions, so investing in asphalt parking lot paving is a great way to reduce your facility’s carbon footprint.
Delivers Stark Contrast (line striping, visibility)
Asphalt paving has aesthetic benefits, too. Fresh asphalt can enhance your complex’s exterior appearance, boosting your facility’s curb appeal and reputation. Moreover, the rich black coloration of asphalt creates the perfect backdrop for bright painted lines to mark parking spaces, handicap access, hazardous zones, and more. Put simply, an asphalt parking lot offers superior visibility, keeping your industrial operations organized and safe.
Is Asphalt the Right Option for Your Industrial Lot?
At Cassidy Paving, we’re always happy to make the case for asphalt paving parking lot projects. Let us show you firsthand why asphalt is the best material for your New England industrial parking lot. Call us today at 866-978-9788 for a free estimate on your next asphalt project!