Asphalt User/Owner Benefits
Cost Effective – Asphalt pavement has the lowest initial cost when compared to other alternative pavement products, and its life cycle cost (when measured over the entire life of the pavement) is also lower.
Constructability and Speed of Construction – Asphalt pavements constructed during the day are normally open to traffic that same day. This allows better access to adjacent businesses and improved traffic flow through and around the project reducing user delay and impact on the traveling public.
Smooth – Asphalt pavements are the smoothest pavements placed in the country today.
Versatile – Asphalt pavements can be tailored to the specific application during the design phase. Design life from five years to in excess of 30 years can be accommodated easily. For cost sensitive projects, staged construction can be a viable design alternative with asphalt pavements as a way to accommodate increased traffic flow while remaining sensitive to the structural integrity of the pavement.
Quiet – It is a proven fact that asphalt pavements are among the quietest surface to drive on in the world. Special asphalt mixes, such as open graded friction courses, stone mastic aggregate mixes and rubberized asphalt, consistently measure the lowest noise of all pavement types.
Safe – With the contrast of color between the white lines and the black pavement and the use of open graded surface course mixes that accelerate drain-down and minimize splash and spray, asphalt pavement are the safest pavement alternative for traveling on.
Durable – With the advent of new design strategies, improved characterization of material performance and improved construction techniques, asphalt pavements can be designed for over 50 years of structural life. Extensive research demonstrates that properly maintained asphalt pavements can last perpetually.
Sustainable – Asphalt pavements are 100% recyclable; in fact, asphalt is the most recycled material in the country. Pavements constructed with recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), often produced using warm mix technology, are clearly environmentally sustainable for the benefit of all citizens, today and tomorrow.