PAVING PROJECT - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

REPORT FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

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Dom Guarnagia

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Facts and FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) regarding the Paving Project

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FACTS: In a downtown scenario, the streets are intentionally paved with a crown, convex,which directs water from the center to the curb that forms the base of an elevated sidewalk. The curb has integrated storm drain catch basins that carry run off away through underground piping.

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Century Village is quite different. Walkways blend into parking areas without changes in grade. The parking areas are connected to driveways that provide access to the perimeter roadway, i.e., North, South, East and West Drives.

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To efficiently drain all those impervious surfaces a system of crowns and swales are constructed in conjunction with drainage devices such as tapered depressions leading runoff to concrete collection boxes, up to 5 FT. cubes with leaching piping to disburse collected water into porous sandy soil.

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Transitioning from a crown to a swale in asphalt concrete is tricky since at some point a flat area occurs upon which standing water, a puddle occurs that will evaporate in a few hours with the heat of the sun. The trick is in minimizing that transition and minimizing the number and sizes of occurrences. Therein lays the basis for the FAQ’s.

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 FAQ: What is the material used to pave the walkways, parking areas and driveways and roads?

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Fact:  The paving material has several names; Hot Top, Tar Macadam, Asphalt Concrete to name a few. Like concrete, a prescribed mixture of aggregate (crushed stone or gravel), fines to fill spaces (sand), a binder (cement) and water; Asphalt Concrete is a combination of crushed stone, sand, asphalt and a thick-oily petroleum by product as the binder.

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The heated mixture is quite black in color and has a fairly smooth finish. The bleaching effect of the sun and the leaching effect of  rain with time, removes the surface oil and exposes the aggregate (1/4” to½” stone) with minor surface sand leaching out as well. This weathering creates a medium gray reflective color and an etched surface that more aggressively aids tire grip.

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FAQ:   Why are there gray lines in the finished surface?

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Fact:  When the surface is placed and graded, the machine cannot spread the material in one pass. After one pass depositing up to 16 FT. of product is completed and compacted with a roller, generally enough time has passed for it to cure. The adjacent deposit must be compacted flush to the previous established crown or swale. In doing so, the heavy roller cannot compact the cured paving so successive passes crush the aggregate exposing the gray color of the petroleum-coated stone. With time both sun and rain will wash away or bleach out the black petroleum binder and the entire surface will become gray.

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 FAQ: Why is the new surface being scarred by the parking maneuvers and the striping is easily marked by the tires?

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Fact:  With the ambient temperatures exceeding 90 degrees F. and the newly placed paving material delivered at temperatures between 120 degrees F. and 140 degrees F., the curing time exceeds the patience of the association owners to place their vehicles in their parking spaces.

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In colder climates, the cure rate is much shorter and almost ready for use within several hours, however, 36 to 48 hours is the proper time to allow for curing prior to use. Those gouges in the new surface will be removed and blended with torches heating the affected areas but patience is the keyword to obtain good results. The paint applied for striping is not the finished product. It is a quick drying application to delineate the individual spaces for a quick turnaround time. Can you imagine what the newblack surface would look like if vehicles maneuvered crossing back and forth over the lines? The area would look like a zebra’s skin. A high quality wear resistant paint will be applied later.

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FAQ: What about moving the vehicles of those occupants who aren’t here?

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Fact:  The paving company M&M Paving is using Kauff ‘s Towing to remove and replace the vehicles with no additional charge.

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FAQ: Is the project progressing on schedule?

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Fact:  Work is progressing quicker than expected and associations will continue to be notified well in advance of the work to be performed.

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FAQ: Will those things that are not satisfactorily completed be addressed?
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Fact:  As with any properly inspected project, inspection during the process will be supplemented by, what is commonly know in the trades as a “PUNCH LIST”. Every square foot of the completed work will be inspected and only when all corrections have been satisfactorily completed and inspections signed off  by the County Building Dept. will the final payment be disbursed.

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Posted By:

Dave Israel
President
United Civic Organization