Paving In Winter In The South: When To Do It
Living in the southern half of the U.S. definitely has some benefits, especially when it comes to construction. If your parking lot looks like it has been jack hammered in a million spots, you are at least in the right location to have it repaired. Here are some tips on when to have your parking lot repaired and repaved in a southern winter.
November, Late January, and Most of February
In the South, most of these months and times are devoid of heavy rains. A parking lot re-paving will not have much interference from temperatures or from rain. In the bizarre chance that rain turns to ice in these months (and it has happened from time to time), you and your parking lot paving contractor only have to wait a day or two for things to thaw out. Sometimes you do not have to wait that long when seventy-degree days are predicted after a freezing rain overnight. December is far too rainy a month, and temperatures fluctuate too much to pave a parking lot in this month. Plus you want your parking lot to be ready for holiday traffic.
A Stretch of Days Where Rain Is Unlikely
Another thing you need to prepare for is a stretch of days where rain is not predicted. Your contractor will want to work quickly to repair the parking lot, and he/she will want to do it when it is not raining. The reason for this is that the hot bitumen needs to remain hot while the crew spreads it out over the lot and then uses a rolling paver to flatten it all neatly into place. If it rains, the rain will cool the bitumen too quickly, and then the crew cannot flatten it out or make it even with no bumps. Your contractor may just call you up on a Sunday and tell you that the work will begin the next day, at the spur of the moment, when there is no rain in the forecast until late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Warmer Days Are Better
It is understandable that winter is winter, but in the South, most of those "winter" days are pretty warm in comparison to the temps in the North. Warmer days are far better for paving, but paving can still be accomplished if the temps are at least in the fifties. If it gets too cold, your contractor and the crew will have the same problems with the bitumen that they would have if it was raining. The bitumen/asphalt hardens and cools too quickly, so you really do need warmer temps and zero rain if you are going to re-pave the parking lot in the specified months.