Street & Asphalt Maintenance


— By David Wescott, Transblue — A


sphalt maintenance is typically one of the biggest expenses an association faces on a regular basis. Many associations deal


with this and unfortunately, none get a free pass. Asphalt maintenance comes down to preparation and being proactive. This means starting now.


The first step is a professional assessment. You need an assessment to understand the current state of the streets and parking lot. What should an assessment include? Well, you must photograph, measure, and identify everything wrong with the property. What does this start with?


Elements of an Asphalt Assessment


` Crack fill. How many linear feet of cracks – with a width greater than ¼ of an inch – are in the parking lot? You need linear feet so that when you go to bid, everyone bids the exact same thing.


` Quantity of raised concrete edges. This occurs when the concrete sidewalk panels are raised, typically, from tree roots creating a trip hazard. You should grind these down or replace them if the concrete is raised too high.


` Linear footage of curbs that must be painted. ` Linear footage of broken curbs that must be replaced.


18 Community Associations Journal | January-February 2022


` Number of stencils on curbs and what the stencils say. For example: “No Parking. Fire Lane.”


` Number of hash marks, stalls, handicapped stencils, arrows, etc. This helps the contractor know the exact amount of striping to propose.


Provide a map identifying each area of failed asphalt, noting square footage. This way, each contractor bids the exact same space.


` Identify all areas that are alligatoring in the parking lot. Create a map, then number the map and correlate the map with pictures to ensure you know exactly where each area of failed asphalt lives. Then, mark each picture with a red box or circle and provide the square footage; this way, each contractor bids the exact same space. For areas damaged by tree roots, simply mark them as RR (root removal) on the map and photos to ensure all areas are properly identified.


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