What Are the Benefits of an Asphalt Driveway?

What Is Asphalt?

• Asphalt is a mixture of aggregate, sand and asphalt cement. This cement is similar to Portland cement but is a petroleum product similar to tar or oil. Various sizes of aggregate are used in asphalt paving, from dense material to fine particles, according to the Bedford Paving website.

How Is Asphalt Applied?

• The mixture of aggregate and asphalt cement is brought to the site where the paving is to take place and given a final mix. It is then poured onto the area and compacted with heavy machinery to give it a dense and solid surface. "Finished" asphalt driveways generally consist of two layers of asphalt laid at separate times. The base layer is made up of coarser aggregate. The top layer has finer aggregate for a smoother look. As much as a year can pass between the application of the top layer over the base layer. The new asphalt surface generally looks very dark and then lightens as the materials age. Do not drive on a new asphalt driveway for five to six days to allow it to cure.

Benefits of Asphalt

• Besides being lower in cost than other driveway materials, asphalt is strong and durable. It can take years of wear. Simple asphalt driveways can be installed quickly. Asphalt resists cracking from temperature fluctuations. Asphalt material can be shoveled or plowed and spread with chemical deicers. Asphalt's dark-colored surface helps to absorb sunlight to melt the ice and snow, according to the Concrete Pavers Guide website. Motor oils and other stains do not show on the asphalt surface.

Green Considerations for Asphalt Driveways

• Traditional asphalt driveways are among the least "green" of building materials because of the petroleum composition of the binder and tight compaction of aggregates that does not allow water to freely flow through it. New techniques and materials are now used to address these problems, with porous asphalt materials that use larger pea gravel to allow water flow, reclaimed asphalt that recycles old asphalt materials and the use of nonpetroleum binder made from pine rosin and pitch. These new methods bring old-fashioned asphalt into the new era of sustainable and environmentally friendly building designs.