Parking lots around Briargate or up near Powers Boulevard often look completely bumpy and uneven after a heavy winter. That is usually due to wild temperature swings here in the Pikes Peak region. When the freeze-thaw cycle hits, asphalt takes a very heavy beating. Business owners and property managers looking at a crumbling surface often find that full replacement is not their only option. That is where Asphalt Milling comes in.
Asphalt Milling is essentially shaving off the top layer of damaged asphalt without tearing up the entire foundation underneath. Primetime Paving Co brings in a heavy milling machine equipped with carbide teeth that chew up the old surface. The machine grinds it down to a precise depth, leaving behind a textured, stable base that is ready for a fresh layer of hot mix.
Why Milling Beats Paving Over Bad Pavements
Some property owners try to save money by paving right over old, cracked asphalt. Primetime Paving Co has seen that mistake backfire across Colorado Springs many times. If you do not remove the failing top layer, those underlying cracks and structural weaknesses will reflect right back through your new asphalt within a single season. Paving over an existing grade also raises the surface too high. That causes massive drainage issues against your building foundation, ruins your curbs, and can create tripping hazards at doorways or ADA ramps.
Asphalt Milling solves all of those problems at once. It lets us maintain the proper pitch for water runoff, which is very important when spring snowmelt turns into sudden afternoon thunderstorms. Asphalt Milling also saves money on material disposal and trucking costs because the milled asphalt, often called reclaimed asphalt pavement or RAP, gets hauled back to the plant to be recycled into future mixes.
What the Process Looks Like on Your Property
Property managers often ask about the disruption for their tenants or customers. Primetime Paving Co maps out the work in phases so your entire commercial lot does not have to shut down at once. First, we sweep and prep the area. Then the milling machine goes to work, chewing up the designated depth, usually about two inches, depending on how deep the rutting or fatigue cracking goes.
Behind the milling machine, a sweeper cleans up the debris, and we haul the millings away. You are left with a rough-textured grey surface that cars can drive on temporarily if we have to stage the project over a couple of days. Once the prep is done, we lay down a tack coat, pull in the paving crew, and roll out a smooth, black surface that looks brand new.
Dealing with Colorado Springs soil and weather means you need a crew that understands how expansive clay subgrade affects pavement over time. For parking lots in Colorado Springs, Primetime Paving Co is here for all your Asphalt Milling needs. We take a look at your pavement depth, figure out if a partial or full-depth mill is right for you, and get your property looking sharp again.