Winter Maintenance of Parking Areas and Roadways

Anyone out driving on Michigan's roads over the past 4-5 weeks has seen the effects of the recent freeze and thaw cycles on Michigan's roadways.

These same negative problems are happening to Condominium Association parking lots and roadways on a smaller scale.  Volume of use, weight of vehicles, and water control the rate of deterioration of pavement.  Association roadways and parking areas typically have less volume of traffic, and less heavy vehicles on their pavement than a major road. However, water, both surface and subsurface does cause major problems for Association pavement.

Water that's in the sub-base, freezes with winter temperatures, causing expansion of the subsoil and movement in the pavement surface.  Different pavement surfaces are affected differently, i.e., asphalt, concrete, and of course the catch basin structures located in the roadway.  As these cycles go back and forth the pavement surfaces are flexed to the point of breaking in some cases, and causing potholes.

The worst potholes should be filled with cold patch asphalt material to prevent them from allowing more water to get into them and thus making them worse.

To prevent potholes, the sub-surface and surface water must be controlled on the pavement.  Sub-surface water can be controlled through the use of edge drains underneath the sub-base of the pavement.  This can only be done when the parking area or road is reconstructed.  However, cracks in the surface of pavement also let water get to the base.  Large cracks should be filled with hot rubber joint sealant on a regular basis.

Surface water is controlled through the pitch of the asphalt surface.  For good drainage a minimum of a 1% slope is recommended to remove water from the surface of asphalt pavement.

Catch basins are also subject to severe failure at this time of year for many of the same reasons listed above. Catch basins are typically constructed of block and mortar.  In some cases the block structure of catch basins erodes so much due to the freeze / thaw, and other water problems, that they collapse.  Catch basins should be inspected periodically for structural integrity.  Signs should be noted of deterioration of the blocks or water leaking in from mortar joints.  Catch basins can be temporarily re built, if needed in the winter, but the best time for this work is the Spring and Summer.