Constructing a new parking lot takes a lot of preparation and time investment. There are many questions you’ll have, such as the downtime of your parking lot and finding a contractor with the experience to handle the type of parking lot project you need. As the go-to firm for commercial paving projects in the Mid-Atlantic, in this article, we at Pro-Pave, Inc. will walk you through the steps of a new parking lot construction.

Step One: Preparation and Permits

A well-designed parking lot helps to make the right first impression on potential customers. The first step when constructing a new parking lot is to find a contractor for the project. You’ll want to do your research and find a company that has a history of successful projects similar to the size of the parking lot you need. You also need to verify how long the company has been in business.

Ask the contractors in your area about their asphalt mix and the average longevity as you want to keep your asphalt intact as long as possible. You should also talk about their insurance coverage and licenses and pick a company with a good reputation. Once you select a paving company, your contractor will acquire the required permits before they start work on your new parking lot.

Step Two: (If needed) Surface Milling

Since paving over damaged asphalt or soft surface isn’t a good idea in any circumstance, a contractor will remove any existing asphalt down to the subgrade level before inspecting it for any areas of compromise. If the damaged asphalt were to be paved over, it would only take a few months for the new asphalt to fail.

Step Three: Grading

If you have an unstable sub-base, you’ll have an unstable parking lot. We evaluate the base material before and during installation to ensure it compacts properly. Then we use a level to ensure a correct pitch so that once it’s complete, the paving will have proper water runoff. It’s common practice to wet test a parking lot after paving by inspecting it after heavy rain to find areas of standing water.

Step Four: Installation and Compaction

After completing the previous steps, it’s time to apply the surface layer. This involves hot-mix asphalt and an asphalt paving machine. We ensure that we install a uniform asphalt layer and maintain the proper slope for water drainage. Once installation is complete, we compact it using asphalt rollers that weigh anywhere between 3 to 10 tons.

Step Five: Marking The Pavement

After completing the installation and compaction process and waiting between 48 and 72 hours for the new asphalt to cure, it’s time to paint the lines in your new parking lot. Measuring the parking lot before painting is essential to ensure even spaces. Your new parking lot should also follow the ADA accessible stall parking requirements, which you can find here.

Pro-Pave works with many commercial clients, including local, state, and federal governments, schools, commercial property owners, and more. If you need to install a new parking lot, you can contact us for a free quote or ask us more about our services.