Pavement Engineering and Consulting

Pavement consulting from engineers, not contractors

Parking lots, drive lanes, loading areas, curbs and walks wear out gradually, and the cost of getting the timing wrong is large in both directions. Seal and patch a pavement that has failed at the base and the money disappears within a season; reconstruct a pavement that only needed surface repair and the owner pays again for structure that was already there.

Our pavement engineers establish why a surface is deteriorating and prepare the documents an owner needs to buy the right repair. Inspec does not perform the work and does not sell materials, so the recommendation follows what the inspection, the cores and the drainage conditions actually show.

Pavement inspection and condition evaluation

A pavement inspection begins on foot. Distress is recorded by type, severity and extent, so one year's survey can be compared with the next rather than re-argued from scratch.

What a surface survey records

• Alligator, block, longitudinal, transverse and reflective cracking in asphalt
• Joint deterioration, spalling, faulting, corner breaks and slab cracking in concrete
• Rutting, shoving and depressions in traffic lanes and at dock aprons
• Raveling, oxidation and loss of surface texture
• Ponding, reverse slope, low areas at inlets and curb reveal problems
• Condition of curbs, gutters, walks, islands, wheel stops and pavement markings
• Accessible route slopes, cross slopes and parking stall layout

Coring and subsurface investigation

Surface distress alone will not tell you whether a pavement can be resurfaced. Cores reveal the built section: asphalt or concrete thickness, layer bond, base and subbase material, and the condition of the soil beneath. Where the subgrade is the suspect, borings and soil testing can be added. That information separates a surface-course problem from a structural one, and it is the difference between a mill-and-overlay and a full-depth reconstruction.

Pavement analysis and design

Once the cause is understood, we design the fix and put it in writing. Before a section is sized, the pavement designer needs to know the traffic the area actually carries — delivery trucks, fire access routes, dumpster and snow-plow paths — together with subgrade strength, drainage and frost conditions, not simply the square footage to be covered.

Asphalt engineering

Asphalt work ranges from crack treatment and localized full-depth patching to mill-and-overlay sections and complete removal and replacement. Where an overlay is appropriate, the design addresses what caused the existing distress — reflective cracking, saturated base, an edge with nowhere to drain — so the new surface is not simply laid over the same conditions that destroyed the last one.

Concrete pavement

Concrete work includes panel and slab replacement, joint repair and resealing, jointing and reinforcement layout, and heavier sections at dumpster pads, dock aprons and turning areas where asphalt is repeatedly rutted or shoved. Mix requirements, curing and joint sawing are specified rather than left to the bidder.

Design also covers corrections to grading and drainage, curb and walk replacement, and accessible parking corrections. Deliverables are plans, details and specifications an owner can bid competitively, with limits of work drawn so bidders are pricing the same scope. Where the pavement work is part of a larger site project — new drives, utilities, grading or site layout — see Civil Design Services.

Bidding and construction observation

We help owners evaluate bids, review submittals and mix designs, and observe the work in progress: subgrade proof-roll, base placement, paving and compaction, joint layout and sawcut timing, and curing and protection. Observation reports document what was placed, and a punch list closes the project out. Owners who want the pavement watched at the same level as the roof and walls often pair this with Construction Observation and Administration.

Multi-year pavement budgets

Most sites cannot be repaved at once, and they rarely need to be. We divide a site into zones, rate each one, and build a phased plan that separates work needed now from work that can wait, with opinions of probable cost so the plan can be carried into a capital budget. Reserve studies, board presentations and lender requests all become easier when the recommendation is tied to documented condition. For pavement tracked alongside roofs, walls and other assets, see Customized Facility Asset Management Programs and Facility Condition Assessments.

Where pavement meets the rest of the site

Pavement almost never fails for pavement reasons alone. Water that will not leave the surface, an inlet set too high, or a failed underdrain will destroy a correctly built section. When the question is how the site handles runoff, permits and inspections, see Stormwater Inspections and Management. For courts, tracks and play surfaces, which use different surfacing and different tolerances, see Outdoor Sports Facilities.

Start with an evaluation

Whether you are budgeting next year's capital plan, reviewing a proposal you have already received, or trying to understand why a recent repair did not hold, an independent evaluation gives you something to decide from. Our pavement consultants work from offices in Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis — contact us to discuss your site, or see all Inspec locations.