Concrete Pavements – Pave Ahead
Concrete paving.
Meeting parking and infrastructure needs of today and tomorrow.
Everyone knows concrete delivers curb appeal and long-term value. Concrete’s inherent properties—extreme durability, rigidity and high reflectivity—make it ideal for a more economical, environmentally sound and sustainable solution for paving and parking areas.
Concrete pavements, as compared to bituminous paving, offer potential Economic, Strength & Durability and Safety & Aesthetics benefits.
Economics
Cemstone researches and develops the industry’s most innovative performance based concrete mixtures.
Lower Life Cycle Costs
Studies show that concrete’s life cycle cost is less than bituminous. Concrete pavements require less maintenance and repair over their lifetime, reducing hard costs as well as costs associated with downtime.
Lower Site Costs
Concrete pavements rely less on the ability of the soil to transfer loads so they can be installed at more sites without costly soil corrections.
Lower Lighting Costs
Concrete parking lots require less lighting, which can reduce the number of light standards as well as the electricity and maintenance associated with exterior lighting.
Strength & Durability
Increased Strength
Concrete pavements rely less on the subgrade soils and stand up to the heavier traffic loads.
Concrete pavements gain strength over time resulting in a long-term pavement solution.
Durability
Cemstone’s engineers properly design exterior concrete mixtures so that pavements last longer, require less maintenance and provide an aesthetically pleasing parking surface at lower lifetime costs.
Safety & Aesthetics
Improved Appearance
Let’s be honest; concrete parking lots look great. What better way to show that you are ready to welcome potential customers by having a bright welcome mat to your store or office building? Cemstone’s concrete can be colored and have textures applied to them to not only make a long-lasting pavement, but also a work of art.
Safety & Security
Studies have shown that concrete pavements are 30% brighter than bituminous pavements and have greater visibility resulting in a safer environment for customers and employees.
Lower Lighting Costs
Concrete parking lots require less lighting, which can reduce the number of light standards as well as the electricity and maintenance associated with exterior lighting.
Reduced Slips & Falls
Concrete lots can withstand the effects of our climate better than other paving materials. This results in pavements that do not have potholes or other areas of distress that could lead to slips and falls or ice buildup during winter months.
Environmental
Reduced Heat Island Effect — Concrete pavements provide reflective surfaces that minimize the “urban heat island” effect. This can mean an air temperature reduction of 7° to 10°F, which can result in lower building cooling costs in the summer months.
Non Petroleum Based
Concrete is produced from abundant natural resources. In addition, many Cemstone concrete mixes feature higher amounts of fly ash, thus reducing landfill needs and improving the quality of the concrete.
Sustainable Concrete Solutions
Parking Lots
Concrete Parking Lots
Concrete parking areas offer superior performance and long term strength and durability when compared to other pavement alternatives. Additionally, an economic benefit results from the minimal maintenance requirements of concrete parking areas.
Roadways
Paving Concrete
Concrete is used across the United States to create long lasting, durable, safe and sustainable pavements. The use of concrete reduces pavement repairs thus allowing cities, counties and states the ability to direct taxpayer dollars into other infrastructure projects. Additionally, concrete creates brighter streetscapes that reduces the need for additional light poles and creates safer environments for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Overlays
Concrete Overlays
The use of concrete as an overlay material is growing. Concrete can be used to overlay streets and bituminous parking lots that have exceeded their life expectancy. These thin overlays are economical from both the standpoint of installation and also in the long term. A properly designed concrete overlay will provide many years of low-maintenance service.
Pervious
Pervious Concrete
Pervious concrete is an effective way to control storm water runoff by creating a storage area below the pavement surface. When properly designed and installed, pervious concrete can be used for sidewalks, parking areas and even city streets. Even in northern climates, the use of pervious concrete has been shown to be an effective storm water management system. Some sustainable benefits of pervious concrete include:
- Improved water quality. The porous structure of pervious concrete allows stormwater to pass into underlying soils and filters out harmful sediments.
- Reduce and refresh. Pervious concrete lessens the heat island effect, recharges aquifers and eliminates the need for storm water retention ponds all while maximizing the land that can be developed and lowering construction costs.
- Protection. When placed near trees and other foliage, pervious concrete protects the root structure of them.
- Reinforcement. Pervious concrete can also be used for reinforcing sand traps at golf courses. Oftentimes, intense rainfall events can cause underlying soils within bunkers to erode and wash away. When placed beneath the bunker sand, pervious concrete will act as a base material that provides stability, while maintaining adequate drainage.
Cemstone is a pioneer in the development and testing of pervious concrete in the upper Midwest. Contact us to learn more about pervious concrete and its many applications.
The Bottom Line
Combine all these facts and you truly have a pavement that is better for the environment as well as a company’s bottom line. Please contact Cemstone about your next paving project.
Our engineers are ready to offer you solutions on design and material selection. They will also analyze your project from an initial and long-term cost perspective.