Certainly, the most economic way to do a job is to complete all of it continuously until it is complete. This maximizes your purchasing power by lowering mobilization costs, locks in material pricing which may go up in the future, and gets you the lowest margins due to the larger size of the project. For a variety of reasons however, this may not be possible – with the most common reason being a shortage of funds.
Balancing maintenance funds with needs
As the price of asphalt increases, many of our customers have started to do their jobs in phases. While they sacrifice some savings due to the issues outlined above, they are able to complete the project as they planned using the best possible paving specifications.
How to successfully phase your asphalt maintenance
There are a couple of ways to phase your project – by specification or by area.
- Phasing by specification entails completing a type of work (e.g. repairs, cracksealing, paving), over the entire site. If you site's asphalt condition is relatively uniform and has aged evenly then this option could serve you well. Depending on the condition and your ability to address the needs of the entire parking lot over potentially several phases, this may not be the best course of action.
- Phasing by area or zone means that you complete all work specifications in a single area. If you have a large scale parking lot or asphalt resource to maintain, or if your parking lot has uneven wear or trouble spots, then this could be the best approach for you.
Asphalt Project Phasing by Area vs. Specs
There are benefits to both ways. If you phase by area, then obviously when you're done – you’re done, and the impact to that area is minimized going forward. With phasing by specification, while there may be a longer impact over the entire site, when the project is finally completed, you have a finished product over your entire facility.
So with your next project, instead of reducing the specification (and thereby the overall quality of the job), consider phasing the project to maximize the dollars that you spend.
As you are making asphalt maintenance plans and trying to account for a maintenance budget that is not keeping pace with the kinds of asphalt repairs that your property needs then you may need to consider a site wide paving assessment. We offer our free Built to Last program as an asphalt management tool that will help you identify and assess your entire asphalt condition, create a management plan and budget that fits your goals for the property and then creates a sustainable budget to maximize the value of the maintenance work you invest in for immediate and future needs.
APM is the asphalt paving, maintenance and repair expert in the Lexington and Louisville KY areas. Contact us at 859-299-8111 for a free consultation or or visit website at www.apm-lex.com to learn more.
