Accesible Parking Dimensions

The photograph presents a nonstandard striping layout. A reasonable person would measure the stall and access-way from center of the double stall striping to the center of the next stall stripe. It appears this is a 9-foot stall with a 5-foot access-way. Depending on the state (and the inspector) the […]

Traffic Calming

Here is an attractive traffic calming installation using differing natural materials to make a visual barrier; create a rough texture with a slight hump; and increase road noise.  This has a nicer appearance than a yellow speed bump or hump. A raised crosswalk is another calming technique.  The raised sidewalk […]

Basic Concepts: Drainage

The typical pavement is a roadway – a long, relatively narrow strip of pavement which drains to structures along the curbs or out towards ditches. Water is not likely to remain on the pavement surface for long periods. Even water that gets into the pavement layer through cracks will flow […]

Basic Concepts: Heavy Vehicles

The typical parking lot is designed to carry light loads – passenger vehicles. There will be delivery trucks, garbage trucks, and maybe, buses. If your pavement has failures with cars passing over it, there are serious problems. Trucks and buses are a different matter.  There was a rule of thumb […]

Basic Concepts: General Problems of Large Paved Areas

We design and try to build a uniform pavement structure (see above) to cover a site that is not homogeneous.   Our most recent example of land resisting being covered happened after several days of heavy rainfall in south Texas. The photograph presents a five-year-old pavement which appears to have […]

Basic Concepts: Pavement Ownership Costs Money

The greatest cost in the pavement lifecycle is the initial construction cost followed by future overlay or reconstruction costs. The surface type selection will determine the number of pavement layers and their thicknesses and the ultimate costs. In general, hot mix asphalt concrete will have lower initial costs in most […]

Basic Concepts: Pavement Performance Primer

Pavements keep us out of the mud Pavements keep us out of the mud This was mentioned in our first posts. There are a multitude of options to keep us clean and dry. What is the budget? What is the surface type, how many layers, and how thick are the […]