How many ruts and potholes did you dodge along your dusty or muddy driveway today?
Yes, springB次元官网网址檚 arrival means itB次元官网网址檚 time to talk driveways.
If you have a long driveway, you know what a headache it can be to keep it in shape and accessible, including to first responders, delivery and service personnel, especially following winter rains and cold. These access routes need to be safe for vehicles to travel over, without ruts, potholes, washouts and soft areas. The longer theyB次元官网网址檙e left, the more they erode.
While many reputable local hot asphalt, concrete and interlock companies are available to service urban homeowners, maintaining those long, rural driveways B次元官网网址� sometimes hundreds of meters long B次元官网网址� requires another solution entirely.
So, what are the options?
Gravel seems to be the most popular, though it needs to replaced every few years, causes dust and ends up everywhere.
Stone screenings are a little more expensive and cause more dust than gravel, but pack down a little and last a few years longer.
Then thereB次元官网网址檚 Recycled Asphalt Product (RAP).
B次元官网网址淩AP has been used on South Island driveways 15 years, in addition to being used by crews for temporary surfacing during road work; itB次元官网网址檚 also used in waterproofing,B次元官网网址� says Robert Henry, from VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 RAP It Up.
As a long, rural driveway surface, thereB次元官网网址檚 nothing better. HereB次元官网网址檚 why it works:
- RAP doesnB次元官网网址檛 pothole, rut or wash out.
- ThereB次元官网网址檚 no dust, and water runs over it to where it is graded to.
- As a green option, RAP is an inert, recycled product, and when properly placed at 3.5 inches, then levelled, crowned or angled and compacted, it will last indefinitely.
- What youB次元官网网址檒l have is gravel, compacted with tars and bitumen. This binds the gravel. Over time, weather and usage, the RAP will oxidize, causing the surface to turn to the natural colour of the stone. While this gives the appearance of a country driveway, underneath, the compacted RAP is still 2 1/2 inches thick.
- RAP is malleable and moves with the ground. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no cracking or heaving and it can take heavy loads.
If a long, rut-filled, pothole-ladened, dusty or muddy, axel-wrenching, ball joint-popping, steering wheel-whipping, coffee-spilling driveway greets you, it might be time to talk Recycled Asphalt!
To learn more, contact Robert Henry at
