Key Takeaways:
- Regular parking lot maintenance is key to a thriving business – regardless of its scale!
- The summer & early fall are ideal for asphalt & concrete paving & repairs to guard against further damage to the pavement.
- Asphalt & concrete repairs are carried out in the warmer months. Skipped maintenance can lead to higher summer repair costs.
- Inconsistent inspections & repairs can result in excessive pavement damage, trip hazards, reduced visits, and a bad rep for your parking lot.
- Brother Paving & Concrete is operating in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, and we can help with emergency asphalt repairs.
Asphalt & concrete may be resilient paving materials, but they are vulnerable to the elements. Therefore, periodic maintenance is crucial for keeping pavement in good condition.
Parking lot owners and managers must understand what happens when you don’t perform regular pavement inspections & repairs during favorable weather. The consequences can be costly. Parking lot deterioration due to water seepage and frozen water that has penetrated the pavement can lead to potholes, uneven areas, and other damage.
Unmaintained parking lots also tend to become overgrown with vegetation and weeds, which may attract pests or cause a nuisance for customers. Furthermore, neglected parking lots may become dangerous, hazardous areas due to the presence of cracks and potholes. These hazards can increase the risk of accidents, leading to legal liability for a business or property owner if someone is injured on their property.
Let’s hear it from Brother’s Paving & Concrete why parking lot maintenance is best scheduled in summer or early fall.
Why Parking Lot Maintenance Is Best Scheduled in Summer or Early Fall?
Summer and early fall are the best times of year for pavement repair and maintenance. During these months, the weather is often milder and less prone to extreme temperature fluctuations. This helps create an ideal working environment and makes pavement repairs more successful. In addition, fewer people are likely to be driving on the roads during these seasons, so any necessary construction can take place with minimal disruption.
So, if you missed the ideal maintenance season, here are a couple of reminders why you shouldn’t next time.
Falling Leaves Cover the Damage
The worst the fall season can do is dead leaves & twigs – and the occasional rain. The debris can be removed with a leaf blower & some street sweeping equipment. But when the leaf shedding gets tough, there is an excess of moisture and lots of decaying plant matter – the combination of which is detrimental to the pavement.
Cracks Become More Active
That is a given in seasons where water is constantly intruding cracks, expanding, & contracting. So, any developing cracks in the pavement, the sidewalks, the ADA-compliant ramps, and even the cast concrete bollards will continue to propagate.
Cracks in the asphalt will stretch to their maximum potential, letting in surface runoff & debris, resulting in further pavement failure & the development of potholes.
Water Intrusion Induced Cracks
If the water seeps into asphalt cracks, down to the foundations, there could be a chance for asphalt stripping. That is when water intrusion begins to erode the pavement’s foundation, resulting in possible upheaving or subsidence of the affected area.
The damage from water seepage is irreversible if left too long. That is one thing you can manage to fix if you have the right paving contractor nearby. A crack fill done right will save you a lot of trouble, but you will need to move fast to protect your pavement’s foundation.
Potholes Become a Liability
As a parking lot manager, you must steer clear of any liabilities at your station. That includes keeping pavement, sidewalks, & accessible stalls/ramps clear of sleet or organic debris that could hide a crack or a pothole.
Trip & slip hazards in a poorly maintained parking lot are a disaster waiting to happen for you, your employees, visitors, clients, and especially the residents.
How Does a Poorly Maintained Parking Lot Affect Your Business?
Impression
The parking lot is the primary aesthetic that sets the impression of an establishment, institution, community, or business. When word gets around about the state of your business’s parking lot, unfavorable opinions & sentiments arise. The reviews might deprive you of the intended clientele.
Legal liability
Skipping maintenance or irregular repair periods can lead to ADA violations & skirmishes with the law. This becomes even more hazardous when pavement cracks are buried under frozen debris; anyone might trip or suffer an inaccessible issue. A lawsuit is the last thing your business needs. So, keep your parking lot maintenance scheduled on time, in the right season, and stay consistent on inspections.
Revenue
Irregular or skipped pavement maintenance intervals can inadvertently complicate the cash flow of your business. A terrible-looking pavement is one thing, but cracks & potholes will hurt your clients & damage their vehicles too. That could deter customers from visiting or using your premises, leading to a lower ROI.
In the long run, an affected ROI will eat into your sparse pavement maintenance budget, and your business might suffer to oblivion. Albeit a bit too graphic, our team knows fully well how damage to asphalt or concrete commercial pavement can take down a business.
Related: Paving Contractors & Red Flags – Signs to Look Out For!
Consistency Is Key to A Thriving Parking Lot Business
Parking lot managers & capable paving contractors are a potent mix of successful project management & business continuation strategy. They complement each other with seamless delivery of repairs & maintenance plans following the best practices in the paving industry.
And that is what the Brothers Paving & Concrete intend for you & your commercial paved asset business.
Parking lot maintenance is optimal in the summer and early fall. So, if you have missed out on the fall interval owing to budgeting complications or just forgot, we can help with many things. Get in touch with us for more details on our services in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
We provide free quotes on our parking lot maintenance services – don’t hesitate to secure yours!
