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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!

As you well know, recycling is a prevalent, and easy-to-practice form of environmental stewardship.  Use it, recycle it, and re-use it… it’s as simple as that.

In today’s world, recycling bins for cans and bottles can be found in virtually every public space, paper recycling is a common household process, and even CFL bulbs are recyclable.

But do you know what the most recycled material in America is, and has been since the early 1990s?

It’s none other than… Asphalt!

According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association, approximately 99 percent of asphalt is recycled here in the U.S., weighing in at a hefty 62 million tons in 2010.

These are some impressive numbers indeed, and Associated Paving Contractors is proud to have been recycling asphalt since the ’90s when the process was still a fairly new concept.  Fortunately, many other paving contractors across the country have realized the environmental and cost benefits of recycling asphalt, and we hope that trend continues.

So the next time you drive down a road and look at the pavement, remember that you are part of one of the most successful recycling campaigns in history.

The road to perfecting asphalt has been a long and winding one.  With perhaps some speedbumps along the way.

An informative article from the National Asphalt Paving Association describes the history of a product that we take for granted in today’s world.  Indeed, we walk and ride on paved asphalt every day, and yet most of us probably never even think about how asphalt is made, where it came from, or why it’s the best option for road surfaces.  Well, correction, we here at APCON think about it!

In this article, many historical facts are brought to the surface, including:

• “The first recorded use of asphalt as a road building material was in Babylon around 625 B.C.”
• “Today (asphalt) covers more than 94 percent of the paved roads in the United States.”
• In 1595, Sir Walter Raleigh discovered a “lake of asphalt on the Island of Trinidad, off the coast of Venezuela.  He used this asphalt for re-caulking his ships.”
• “In 1870, a Belgium chemist named Edmund J. DeSmedt laid the first true asphalt pavement in (the U.S.), a sand mix in front of the City Hall in Newark, New Jersey”

Check out the article to learn more… and be sure to thank your asphalt for the great job it does day in and day out!

What would summer be without the excitement of kids going off to summer camp?This morning, APCON traffic cones were on the scene of departure day for the first session of Golden Slipper Camp, a non-profit, overnight camp that draws campers mostly from the Philadelphia area.

The bus departure was held in Elkins Park, approximately 2 hours south of the Poconos where Golden Slipper Camp is located.  Coach buses take the kids, who are aged from seven to 15-years-old, to and from camp to have the summer of their lives.

APCON is proud to support Golden Slipper Camp and we wish all the campers well this summer… have a happy, safe, and memorable time up in the mountains!

The online publication “Buildings” reported in May that a recent study from MIT showed that using stiffer pavement could potentially cut fuel consumption by 3% and save roughly $15 billion in gas prices per year in the US.  Plus, since the pavement would need to be made to be stiffer, it is likely to last longer, ultimately saving money in the long run rather than having to repave frequently.

In a nutshell, the reason for the reduction in fuel consumption is because the “softer” a pavement is, the more energy is needed to push the car ahead since the tires sink into the road more compared to a stiffer road.

We think this sounds like an intriguing study, and we will keep our eye on this development to see if new guidelines are set and if customers choose to go in this direction.

What do you think?  Your comments are welcome below…

As you may have heard in the news recently, the City of Philadelphia is embarking on an ambitious plan called “Green 2015,” which has the goal of adding 500 more acres of green space to the city’s footprint within the next three years. And no, this does not mean that the City will be going on an old-fashioned conquest to plunder land from neighboring towns by conquest like a Medieval land battle. Instead, it’s addition by subtraction.

Anybody who has driven through inner-city Philadelphia can attest to the “concrete jungle” feel of many neighborhoods—in fact a study shows that 200,000 Philadelphia residents don’t live within a half-mile of a park or green space, as quoted in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about the City’s green initiative.

To counter this, the City will be reclaiming large swaths of unused paved areas that can be found on vacant lots, in underused school playgrounds, and other such locations.

Breaking up these unused or underused paved areas provide many benefits, including:

• Green spaces generally improve property values since families like to have them in close proximity to their homes for kids to utilize
• Storm water inlets on streets can only handle so much water, whereas green spaces help absorb more water and enable it to filter it through the ground
• Local residents can potentially use the new green spaces to plant gardens to grow fresh fruits and vegetables, helping to save money from buying groceries and enabling families to eat more healthfully

All in all, even though APCON is in the paving business, we appreciate efforts to maximize the usage of current and prospective paved surfaces and eliminate unnecessary pavement since green spaces have great benefits to the community and environment. Kudos to the City of Philadelphia for recognizing the needs of its citizens by reclaiming unused pavement and we look forward to seeing the City’s pavement transformation over the next few years.

Posted in UncategorizedTagged green space, pavement, Philadelphia, storm water