Paving / Asphalt Superintendent

Does it piss you off when cars don't slow down as they pass your crew? And will cops really double a speeding ticket if it's near your work zone?

Asked by Ryanleaf over 10 years ago

YES! YES! YES! That is an excellent question.Yes it does piss me off when people can't follow all the signs that we are required to put up.We have a certian exit shut down with signs,baracades,police officer sitting at the bottom of the ramp with the lights on and people will still come up the ramp! Yes if you receive ANY TYPE of moving violation in any part of a work zone your ticket is gonna start at $500.That is not just the officer's doing...thats the law.I'm not calling any one individual stupid.But the General public as a whole are very stupid.We had a guy a couple years ago just stopped in the middle of the interstate beside our work zone just to ask us if he could come through the zone.We didn't even let him finish asking..we are screaming GO GO GO but it was too late a car behind him hit him and killed the guy.I had to perform CPR on this guy and take that emotional mess home with me all because he wouldnt respect the work zone.

How long should a newly-paved road last before it needs to be re-paved? Will it last longer in warmer climates?

Asked by Troy over 10 years ago

That depends on alot of different factors..The amount of traffic on it,the weather,the type of asphalt.But just to give you an idea, In Virginia when an interstate is paved it is exspected to last about 30 years.Of course the amount of recycled asphalt they use in new asphalt now really speeds up the deterioration.

Do you worry that working around hot asphalt fumes all day will wreck your health, and are there studies showing them to be either safe or harmful?

Asked by Dave over 10 years ago

Well the "smoke" you see surrounding the paving equipment if you've ever passed by it is just steam caused by the equipment spraying water on the asphalt(it keeps it from sticking to the rollers and the paver).However it does have a smell to it.It is harmless though.I'd have to break open my MSDS book to go into further detail.

How much does it cost in material and labor to pave one mile of a 4-lane highway?

Asked by CTS over 10 years ago

Thats a pretty easy one..I'm basing this on a job I'm doing right now where we are being paid by the ton of asphalt we put down.That includes all of my labor cost EVERYTHING.The price for that is $125 per ton.Your highway lanes are 12' feet wide so 4 of them is 48' and 1 mile is 5280' so I would lay 2'' of asphalt compacted.What that means is I would lay 3'' so that after the roller compacts the asphalt it will be 2'' inches thick.That would total 5,227.2 tons x $125=$653,400

If a city wants to repave a major road, how do they decide how to re-route traffic, what times of day/night to do the work, etc? Is it a massive organizational undertaking, or do big cities have it down pat by this point?

Asked by Carlos Danger over 10 years ago

Beleive it or not the city simply Hires a company such as mine to do all that for them.They have a budget set (your tax dollars) and I and other companies bid on the work they want done.The lowest bidder is the one doing the work.I have to subit a traffic plan for each route being paved to the city for their approval and then they inform the public.Of course we try to always minimize the burdon to the public by working at night when possible.But no matter what we do it will not please everyone.

How long after you pour hot asphalt does it dry and solidify?

Asked by Jamie over 10 years ago

Well you don't pour it per say..It's hauled in dump trucks at about 300-350 degrees.its dumped into a machine called a paver.The paver spreads the asphalt at a thickness set by the two people riding on the back of the paver called screw guys or jack guys.After the asphalt goes down and is rolled it has to cool before letting traffic drive on it.I like to see it cool to about 100 degrees or less.

Is pouring asphalt all that different from pouring cement? Do people try and carve initials into newly-poured asphalt?

Asked by Avion over 10 years ago

Yeah pretty much everything about paving asphalt and pouring concrete are two different trades.I don't know much at all about concrete work.I've never seen anyone put their initials into asphalt.The roller would smooth them out anyways.

Is there a lot of corruption or mob influence in paving?

Asked by StdR8s over 10 years ago

LOL no they have not reached us yet!

How badly would touching newly-poured asphalt burned you? Ever happened to you?

Asked by Dr0id over 10 years ago

No it's never happened to me but  your car exshaust runs about the same temp as freshly made asphalt.Your talking serious 1st degree burns depending on the contact with it.But we wear work boots with steel toe that does protect our feet from the temp.And there's really no reason why it should ever come in contact with any other part of the body.The guys that paint the lines on the roads for all of us.They have the real danger..They control the paint spraying from the trucks rear and all the air,hydraulic,and supply lines run right by the seat they operate it from.They have to heat that paint up to like 300 degrees before spraying and I've heard some bad horror stories of lines busting.

What's the deal with those little black lines of tar that they use to fill in cracks in the asphalt? I've nearly killed myself when biking in the summer, and that tar (is it tar?) gets hot and tacky.

Asked by dennispaul over 10 years ago

My company does it but I don't like it.It's called crackfill and its supposed to stop cracks from getting worse and potholes forming.I can tell you I think it's a cheap band-aid on a problem that most people don't want to spend money on.I milled a highway last year(milling is a machine that grinds up the asphalt and loads it in a truck and is recycled)The city had just spent $300k on crackfill against pro advice.Yeah it continued to crack anyway and they had to pay us to mill the asphalt,the crackfill,and pave the road.

Are streets paved at an angle so that rain water naturally runs off to the side and into the gutters?

Asked by Chizel over 10 years ago

Yes they are.Putting an angle in the center of the road kind of like the roof on your home is called a "crown''.It's purpose is to force water to the gutter pans and out of the road.There is a new type of asphalt that is still in some what of the development stages that water flows directly through the asphalt making drains or ditches unnessecery.

Why do cement trucks need to spin?

Asked by Elvira.13131313 over 10 years ago

They spin in order for the cement to not set up.They have flights inside kind of like a clothes dryer.When the truck arrives at the job the drum spins backwards to force the concrete out of the truck.

Do you do private work too, like paving driveways, and how much would it cost to get a standard driveway repaved?

Asked by Singh312 over 10 years ago

My company does not do driveways.We do however do large shopping center parking lots.An example driveway say big enough for two cars about 50' long would be something around $5,000-$8,000.

How does a city decide whether a road with potholes is going to get re-paved? Will enough people complaining to the city get it moved to the top of the list?

Asked by shaga over 10 years ago

The City or the many I have worked for use a computer program to select routes to pave.It's based on things like traffic volume and last time it was paved.But yes the people speak and they shall be heard! I have been on a job may times and get a call that we have to move a road up on the list because of the complaints.

Have you ever paved over something valuable like in that Seinfeld episode?

Asked by Troy over 10 years ago

nah not that I can remember..This might make me a horrible person but I don't like Jerry Seinfeld.

Have you ever laid a road and then discovered that you made a huge mistake and had to tear it all up?

Asked by ManBearPig over 10 years ago

I have not BUT my company also does milling which is tearing up old asphalt so the road can be repaved.We do this for a number of different paving contractors.We were hired to mill a 5 lane section of road about 1.5 miles long and that was all.The company that hired us was gonna pave it themselves.We ended up milling the road three times before the road was passed.No fault of ours but I don't think that company  survived that one lol.

Do people think of you as a construction worker, and does that bother you?

Asked by DifSed over 10 years ago

I would hope so because thats what I am.I construct new roads or repair roads.I am proud of what I do.

How much can paving workers get paid, and what's a typical annual raise? Thanks!

Asked by Droch over 10 years ago

That depends on the area of course but the average for VA is just a simple laboror about $10-$12 hr. Paver operator $20-$25 hr with a $1-$2 annual raise. That raise would cap though.We tend to work alot of overtime ALOT. The winter months the work slows down which the guys love.

Why don't all cities have those reflective patches between lanes? Are they really expensive to lay down?

Asked by bayside over 10 years ago

Yes they are but that has nothing to do with it.Your states DOT office either sub contracts or employs engineers to design our roads.If those markers fall into their design thats how they come to be.We often have to make changes in the field when plans to work out like they do on paper.

How many tons does a worker put down each day

Asked by wm about 10 years ago

a worker? I assume you mean a paving crew? all depends on the job.We can put down as much as 2000 tons a day.We also have jobs where we put down 10 tons just depends on the job.

Can private citizens hire pavers for public roads or do they need a permit from the city? My neighborhoods' streets are in terrible shape, but the city council won't act but if we raise the money privately, can we repave the roads?

Asked by Davis about 10 years ago

I really dont know the answer to that..thats more of a question for your local goverment.

Dumb question, but why are roads paved grey and black? Is there an actual reason for it?

Asked by blindz over 10 years ago

Asphalt is black simply because of the petroleum thats in it.It will turn grey due to the uv rays from sunlight slowly drying it out.Having recycled asphalt in the mix when its put down only speeds up the aging process but because its cheaper almost all roads have it.

How long does it take to put down one lane of asphalt one mile long?

Asked by Big D over 10 years ago

an average paver speed when laying asphalt is about 19' per min.A mile is 5280' so do the math but take into account waiting on dump trucks to bring more mix.

How long is the process to place one mile two lane road of Asphalt?

What is the average cost of the prep grading ready for the Asphalt one mile two lane road?

Asked by Roy over 9 years ago

What is the average time line from rough grading to placement of Asphalt for a two lane road one mile long?

What is the average cost for prep grading to placement of Asphalt for a two lane road one mile long?

Asked by Rbow over 9 years ago

if a parking lot was paved a couple months ago and delivery trucks still leave tire marks and did holes when thay turn what could be the problem, and is there something that can be done. in arizona

Asked by paul about 10 years ago

Have you heard of an Asphalt Recycler? Do you think they are effective or too much money. Here is an example below http://www.angelobenedetti.com/

Asked by Shayne over 8 years ago

Our HOA got a quote in May of 2014 of $523,000 to repave the roads in our HOA. Given the precipitous drop in petroleum prices in the last few months, how much might we expect prices to drop today?

Asked by HOA Honcho over 9 years ago

Hello ,I need to ask you, To rezone my Land in to residential ,The town municipality of Sutton of Georgina asked me to extent the road in to my property ,which is 6 miter x 20 miter long , tell me please what going to cost me .

Asked by jb.brookshold@gmail.com over 8 years ago

How much typically do you charge for equipment on patch jobs such as skid steers and small rollers

Asked by Jim over 7 years ago

I live on a road with about 10 houses, perhaps a quarter mile long. Builder is getting ready to pave street (since he just finished the final home on the street.) What advice can you give to ensure he does a professional job?

Asked by Dave M about 10 years ago

how much pavers charge per hour

Asked by maria almost 10 years ago

How much does it cost to lay a mile of asphalt on an already-graded rail-trail for bicycles (about 12 feet wide)? Is $100K about right?

Asked by Erik over 7 years ago

we got a bid to do a small parking lot in Jan. of 12500. it was wet until now/or paver was busy. He finished today but got a bill for 2500 extra because he said asphalt went up..has it in 8 months..that much

Asked by greg over 9 years ago

If I am removing an asphalt parking lot, is there someone that takes used asphalt to recycle, and if there is, do they charge to take it, and if so, how much does it cost to dump it?

Asked by Todd Bell over 8 years ago

My class is doing a virtual project. We want to know how much it would cost in material and labor to pave/repave and widen our 1 1/2 mile one lane road in our park?

Asked by Daryn Wiley over 7 years ago

Im doing a project. I'm just curious the price of asphault currently. My reference for comparison is this "a ton of asphault laid and rolled has fallen from $32 to $28.50 in the past decade or so" can you please advise current pricing??

Asked by bryan about 7 years ago

How much does it cost in labor and materials to repave OR patch one mile of 2 lane rural road?

Asked by FatGlasses over 8 years ago

Looking for a fun fact about cement for 4th graders. How many miles of a one-lane highway could you get from one million tons of cement? I'd love to say that you could get from Rapid City, SD to TK. thanks!

Asked by Gabrielle about 8 years ago

In city streets and highways. How long does it take to allow vehicles to drive on repaved roads. I roads repaved during the night and vehicles driving on them the same day..

Asked by Russ over 7 years ago

On city streets, how long does it take before vehicles are allowed to use them. I see roads resurfaced overnight and driven on in the mornings...

Asked by Russ over 7 years ago

How much would it cost, with labor and materials, to build an asphalt country road big enough for two cars that's a half mile long?

Asked by Gwen over 7 years ago

Why are roads milled down so long before they are repaved? It seems like where I live, roads are milled 30-60 days before they are resurfaced. Over that time you can see the milled roadway darken as the uneven surface eats away at people's tires.

Asked by iTradeShips over 9 years ago

how much would it cost to pour 82 feet long 42 feet wide 3 inches thick of asphalt

Asked by Norman almost 9 years ago

Can you please tell me what the cost of labor is for somebody that repairs potholes in an asphalt parking lot, (cleans/digs them out and fills the potholes with New asphalt), the combined measurements for all the potholes is 1745sq ft

Asked by menmyluv almost 10 years ago

What would be the estimated cost of installing a 6 ft. Wide 1/4 mile long asphalt walking path on a level clay surface?

Asked by Miss Ellie about 8 years ago

There is a road that is 4 meters wide and 250 meters long, if it were to be repaved, how much would it cost

Asked by Star over 9 years ago

I have a circle dirt road that is about 1/4 of a mile. How much should something like that cost to pave. I just need a ballpark estimate. Thank you!

Asked by Kathy over 7 years ago

how much can you mill and resurface in a day?

Asked by Devil_dog over 9 years ago

We have a two mile long stretch to our farm land, we would like to pave 8 feet or 10 feet of Asphalt or Cement road, can you please let me know how much it costs and if Asphalt or Cement is cost effective. FYI, there is not even a dirt road now.

Asked by Reddy almost 8 years ago

I have a well maintained driveway installed about 6 years ago "3"-4" thick", never been sealed,what is the best tyoe of sealer to use, and what should be the approxamet cost per sq' ? Thank you for your kind attention of this matter.

Asked by sonjoan@ptd.net about 9 years ago

How long does it usually take to pave one mile road of asphalt concrete? Assume one lane, 4"-6" thickness. Can it be done in one lift?

Asked by Reza over 8 years ago

How much distance could a crew lay of cement/ concrete in a day if say the depth was 1 foot and 10 feet wide just going in a straight line. Similar to say a road already setup to just fill.

Asked by mitch about 7 years ago

How long would it take to pave and area that is 239 ft. long by 79 ft. wide?

Asked by Victoria over 6 years ago

I have a 350 feet driveway/road about 16ft wide. Ive cut the road with open ditches, now i want to asphalt the road. Whats next the base? 2"? crushed concrete, or what and how much for a professional to take it from here.

Asked by Quincy over 9 years ago

How long do you estimate it would take to pave 1 mile of the right lane of an interstate?

Asked by leslie over 9 years ago

How much does it cost in material and labor and equipment to pave 11.4 miles of a 2 lane highway?

Notice that the pavement is concrete slab and it is 10 in.

Asked by Hattan almost 8 years ago

How often do you need to top a neighborhood road, about 100 houses. How much should it cost per mile to repave

Asked by Dw about 10 years ago

What's the rolling pattern difference on warm mix compared to hot 300 degree surface mix? I was told warm mix can be over rolled if gotten on too soon?

Asked by Rob almost 8 years ago