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Check out this example of porous paving in action, courtesy of Hudson Valley’s Your News Now.

Though porous paving is a technology whereby asphalt pavement drains water through it is over 30 years old, it is becoming more prevalent as townships deal with flooding and storm water drainage issues.

Though porous pavement may not be suitable in every location, it can serve a valuable purpose for areas that get flooded easily (like the area near Lake George, as cited in the first link above).   And with townships and cities looking to improve upon their city infrastructure, we anticipate porous paving will gain interest amongst city planners in years ahead.

Looking to install porous paving in your parking area or roadway in the Philadelphia area?  Please feel free to contact us here at APCON and we’d be happy to talk to you about it.  Call us at 800-887-2222 or email us at your earliest convenience.

In our last blog post, we talked about Philadelphia’s “Green 2015” program and how the City of Philadelphia aims to remove unused pavement in the City and install green areas instead.

An article recently crossed our desk about a related topic, and this time it was National Geographic’s take on Philadelphia’s “Green City Clean Waters Program.” The program was designed to better manage stormwater runoff in a city with a sewer system that can get inundated when it rains, and subsequently draw pollution out to the Schuykill and Delaware Rivers.

This article is a good read for Philadelphia area residents, or for anybody who is interested in improving the way cities interact with the environment, as well as those of us who are into anything and everything pavement related(!).

One prime area of change that is touted in this article is the usage of permeable paving (also called “porous” or “previous” paving), which is an asphalt surface that allows water to pass through it to the ground, while also allowing traffic to pass over it. Permeable paved surfaces help to prevent streets from getting backed up with stormwater during rain storms, minimize pollution in water runoff, and lessen the need for additional infrastructure to help move stormwater safely from the streets.

And, on a side note, did you know that permeable paving was developed in Philadelphia at the Franklin Institute in 1977? Pretty wild how things can come full circle.

And, on another side note and shameless bit of self-promotion, Associated Paving Contractors has experience with installing permeable paving surfaces throughout the Delaware Valley area. If you would like to learn more about this innovative paving technique and how it may or may not be the right fit for your planned paving project, please feel free to give us a call at 215-672-8000 or email us today. Thank you.

About three weeks ago, we posted an article about an article from the Better Business Bureau regarding asphalt paving scammers who go around to houses door-to-door, offering to perform work on driveways at dirt cheap prices.

Well, just yesterday a swindler in Maryland was sent to jail for racking up $63,000+ in fraudulent sales of pavement services, on top of $80,000 he swindled in South Carolina… and who knows how much more that we don’t even know about.

Fortunately he won’t be able to scam anybody else for the next two years as he will be spending his time in the crossbar motel.  But, sadly, it’s doubtful that most of the victims– mostly senior citizens– will get their money back from him anytime soon, if ever.

So, once again, if any purported paving pro who pops up at your front door unexpectedly and offers to pave your driveway for a pittance, kick ’em to the curb!  And do alert your local police department as this may be an illegal undertaking in your area.

As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.  You’ve been warned…

APCON is now driving down the social media superhighway…

It’s official– You can now follow APCON on Twitter! Check us out at: @APCONpaving

We will be tweeting about paving-related topics such as maintenance tips, informative articles, updates from the daily world of Associated Paving Contractors, and other interesting things going on in the community… and perhaps some surprises along the way. We’d love to follow you as well, just let us know.

Your Twitter feed will never be the same!

You might be driving your car on a future source of power.

Paved asphalt, as anybody who has walked down a city street in the summer can tell you, is a tremendous absorber of heat from solar energy– hence the term “heat island effect” during hot days.  Well, if researchers from Canada have their way, there may be an opportunity to utilize the heat-absorbing effect of asphalt as an effective power source.

According to an article on thestar.com entitled, “Hot asphalt an untapped source of power”,

You just never know what might “soak” you as you surf the internet… Here’s a pretty cool video from the Daily Telegram in Adrian, Michigan showing the effectiveness of porous (permeable) paving and how it drains 9,000 gallons of water without any pooling whatsoever. As you can see, the water from the fire hose disappears as it hits the asphalt, as the water merely drains into the ground below. Apparently, according to the article, this site is where a farmer’s market is held, so the benefit of quick water drainage is great in the event that it rains before or during the time when the farmers market operates. That way, the water won’t flood the area or become a safety hazard. If you are considering porous paving for your next project, please feel free to call us at 215-672-8000 or 800-887-2222 or email us today. We will be sure to drench you with helpful insights…

In yesterday’s APCON blog post, we reviewed our recent paving work at Tj Smith’s in Warrington, whereby we added a new parking lot and crosswalk to connect with an existing lot at this bustling restaurant’s site.

As part of the work performed at this site, a row of arbor vitae trees needed to be removed in order to construct the new lot and also to not serve as a barrier between the two parking areas.

One option in dealing with these trees would have been to have the trees cut down and turned into mulch, which would have been a perfectly normal solution.  However, we’re not your normal paving company!

Instead, we decided to remove the trees and transplant them at our equipment yard approximately five miles away from the restaurant.  The idea was that these trees would provide some shade, natural beauty, and privacy, along with the added bonus of keeping these lush trees from being destroyed.

Well– the outcome of the story has been overwhelmingly successful thus far:  After more than a month, the trees seem to have transported rather well and all of them seem to be readjusting to their new location nicely, although some branches were lost during the transition process, but we anticipate some of these thinned areas will grow back eventually.

The accompanying photo shows some of the newly planted trees as they look today.  Our green thumbs seem to be working well so far!

Summer is here—time for sun, sand, and… seal coating?

With summer approaching, many folks in the Delaware Valley will start kicking their vacation plans into high gear, whether it’s walking the boards at the Jersey Shore, lounging by the pool, or cooling off up in the Poconos.  But don’t forget about your pavement!

Yes, the pavement in your driveway, parking lot, or roadway needs your attention.  Depending on the extremes in weather, usage, and other factors, your pavement will weaken over time.

But for those who plan ahead, this summer is a great time to seal coat your asphalt to help maintain your pavement in preparation for next winter and any upcoming bad weather we may experience.

Bad weather, such as snow, ice, and heavy rain, can exacerbate potholes, cracks, and crumbling.  To help reduce the chance of these problems next winter, a seal coat this summer will go a long way.

Seal coating is a process of applying an asphalt-based emulsion pavement sealer to the top of the asphalt.  This coating protects the pavement by preventing water, oil, and gasoline from penetrating the surface and deteriorating the asphalt binder, which ultimately causes the base asphalt to deteriorate prematurely.

And once your asphalt deteriorates, then you’re looking at a major expense of possibly replacing the asphalt altogether, sooner than normal.  As a result, it is recommended that asphalt should be seal coated every 2-3 years, depending on wear and tear.

So, before kicking off your shoes and sliding on your flip-flops this summer, contact APCON at 800-887-2222 or info@assocpaving.com to help with your seal coating needs… your pavement will thank you for it.  Have a fun, safe, and healthy summer. Enjoy it, whatever you may do!

PS– If you plan to seal coat or perform other paving maintenance, be sure to avoid asphalt paving scammers… wherever you live, go with the pros and you will avoid lots of headaches.

Summer brings with it a lot of great things… fireworks, swimming, barbecues, and more.

But, like clockwork, there is one annual plight for all homeowners and property managers to be aware of:  the dreaded door-to-door paving peddler. Perhaps you have seen or heard about these folks.  Out of the blue, some guy you don’t know will knock on your door and ask you if you’d like your driveway repaired.  Your best answer?  Just say “NO!”

The Better Business Bureau put out a helpful article that we thought we’d share regarding these prevalent and pesky asphalt paving scammers.  Take heed of the BBB’s precautions and be sure to alert others who may be susceptible.

Asphalt repairs should be handled by the pros and not a Joe Shmoe off the street.  Unfortunately, we’ve heard of far too many victims who have been burned by unprofessional paving scammers.  There are plenty of great paving companies out there that this shouldn’t happen to anybody else.

With all that said, enjoy your summer… and your driveway!

P.S.- Need to fix up your asphalt or concrete driveway?  Associated Paving Contractors serves the Philadelphia metro area and we would be happy to hear from you about your paving needs.  Please feel free to contact us at 215-672-8000 or info@assocpaving.com.  Thanks!