Two tips you must know to determine if your community really needs to spend funds on a pavement maintenance project.
By: Mark Beatty, Vice President
Holbrook Asphalt Company
I regularly teach classes around the country to city engineers as well as private HOA boards regarding the cost savings associated with proactive pavement maintenance. So why would anyone with an understanding of the benefits of proper asphalt maintenance say, “Don’t spend money maintaining asphalt?”
The following scenarios are examples of times when spending money on asphalt maintenance is a waste of HOA funds. (Note: If your community does not meet the criteria in tips one and two and does need maintenance, I will provide some vital money-saving insights in a bonus tip three, with information on how to obtain a free copy of the Asset Preservation Journal.)
Essential Tip #1:
Know the condition of your pavement. Just this morning, prior to writing this article, I evaluated a private community along with a board president. The pavement had failed. The possible reasons for the failure likely are one or more of the following: 1) a poor maintenance plan was instituted (the most likely reason) following the pavement’s original installation, 2) the original paving job was inadequate, and/or 3) there were soil issues beneath the pavement that lead to the failure.
Understanding what caused the failure will be important as we determine what is ultimately required for helping the community. For the purposes of this discussion, the takeaway is the board was going to spend money on a maintenance project for pavement that had failed. If the pavement in your community has failed, preservation techniques are really just a waste of money. Also, be aware there are always contractors that are willing to take your money and turn your pavement black by applying a sealcoat regardless of whether or not the treatment will provide any benefit to the life of the surface. So, if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, what should you do? Save your money!
I mean this literally, save your money for the replacement and installation of new pavement. This is an extremely expensive and unfortunate situation and it is only recommended when there is total failure. I hope that your community never finds itself in this situation because 95 times out of 100 this can be avoided with an effective pavement management strategy in place.
When pavement is in a failed state, you could put “lipstick on a pig” as they say and turn it black, but it will be a waste of money. You should have your community evaluated by an accredited pavement manager and I’ll share with you how to do that in a moment.
Essential Tip #2:
Another situation, which is a far opposite circumstance from that described above, is when a community’s reserve study tells them that pavement maintenance is needed when it actually is not.
Here’s an example of such a situation: Reserve study professionals often have a standard, or you could say a template, that they use to determine the frequency and need of maintenance treatments. Reserve study professionals identify timelines for when maintenance is needed. What they cannot do is control what surface treatment type is installed, because a board solicits bids and determines what work is actually performed. Therefore, reserve studies tend to be conservative, as they should be.
Here’s the example of an HOA not needing maintenance when it was specified in a reserve study. A larger community with about 2,000 homes had a reserve study in place that stated that their asphalt should be sealed five years from when the last maintenance project was performed. The community had installed a High-Density Mineral Bond (more often known as HA5) application in 2004. The reserve study recommended a pavement maintenance treatment in 2009 (There are many cases where waiting five years between treatments is too long. For example, the sealcoat industry regularly touts reapplication should occur every three years.) Given the reserve study recommendations, the community contacted the contractor that had installed the HA5 and requested a bid for maintenance.
The contractor, along with an engineering firm evaluated the community and concluded that no work needed to be performed at that time. High-Density Mineral Bond (HA5) applications offer a greater extension of pavement life and simply last longer than lower-cost treatments such as premium seal coats. So, in this case, the community was able to save the maintenance expense and resident disruption for an additional four years. The total span between surface treatments for this community was nine years. It wasn’t until 2012 that this community contracted to have another High-Density Mineral Bond (HA5) installed.
This is certainly the best situation to be in. Money was saved, resident disruption was minimized and the pavement’s useful life was effectively extended.
Bonus Tip #3:
If your community’s reserve study proposes that your HOA needs pavement maintenance this year, understand the following: Contracting a maintenance project doesn’t necessarily mean that you are effectively extending the life of your community’s pavement assets. Turning a pavement black isn’t the priority. For example, sealcoats and premium polymer sealcoats are the least expensive and even though they turn the pavement black, they also provide a very limited amount of life extension to the pavement. What has proven to be the most cost-effective and beneficial when it comes to extending pavement life is a High-Density Mineral Bond (HA5) installation. High-Density Mineral Bond (HA5) installations are consistently providing six to nine years of durability which translates into lower ownership costs and longer pavement life cycles.
For a free copy of the Asset Preservation Journal detailing the pros and cons of various maintenance treatments, email [email protected] with “Asset Journal” in the subject line.
For a free PCI (Pavement Condition Index) rating by an accredited pavement manager from the International Pavement Management Association, email me at [email protected]. I’ll put you in touch with a qualified accredited pavement manager in your area.
MARK BEATTY is on the Advisory Board for the International Pavement Management Association and consults with public agencies and HOAs throughout the U.S. He is a sought-after presenter at public works events as well as HOA seminars. Mark serves as the Vice President at Holbrook Asphalt Company. You can contact Mark at [email protected].
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