These are just a few of the great things people had to say about JA Jams, a benefit concert featuring the Grammy Award-winning band Chicago, a benefit concert that Reliable Contracting is proud to have helped sponsor. This fantastic event, which is put on by Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, Inc. – a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization – raised more than $250,000 to help educate K-12 students in Baltimore and Central Maryland about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy.

“We are empowering young people to own their future economic success.”

In 2013, Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, will reach over 33,000 students.

If you have any questions about JA Jams, please contact Reliable Contracting today by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. Located in Millersville, Maryland, Reliable Contracting is your single-source solution for all of your commercial and residential asphalt needs, from construction to repair and rehabilitation.

You can also follow Reliable Contracting on Facebook and Twitter!

Sources:

Benefit Concert JAmaryland.org

1. Price: Asphalt driveways are typically cheaper to construct than their concrete counterparts.
2. Paving: A concrete driveway can take as much as twice as long to pave as an asphalt driveway of the same size and dimensions.
3. Durability: Asphalt proves to be much more durable over time than concrete, making asphalt the perfect choice for your residential driveway.
4. Lifespan: An asphalt driveway will last anywhere from 25 to 30 years with proper maintenance.
5. Weather Resistance: Asphalt driveways are more weather resistant than concrete driveways, contracting and expanding along with the temperature. This helps these surfaces avoid cracking and other damage.
6. Flexibility: Asphalt driveways are able to conform to changes in the soil. Concrete, meanwhile, is much more rigid and likely to crack as a result of changes to the soil.
7. Asphalt Repairs: Asphalt driveways are far easier to repair than concrete driveways.
8. Lower Maintenance Costs: Not only are asphalt driveways easier to repair, but the cost associated with doing so is typically lower than concrete repairs.

If you have any questions about The Benefits of an Asphalt Driveway over Concrete, please contact Reliable Contracting today by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. Located in Millersville, Maryland, Reliable Contracting is your single-source solution for all of your commercial and residential asphalt needs, from construction to repair and rehabilitation.

You can also follow Reliable Contracting on Facebook and Twitter!

Lifespan of Asphalt

1. 3-5 Years: In the first 5 years, your asphalt will begin to show the first signs of cracking. If dealt with in a timely manner, these cracks will not develop into any major problems.
2. 5-7 Years: Between 5-7 years, your asphalt will most likely need its first patch.
3. 15-20 Years: With regular, preventative maintenance, your asphalt pavement should last 15-20 years.

Perpetual Pavement is constructed in such a way that distress occurs in the top layer only, leaving the base intact. This means that full-depth reconstruction is a thing of the past. Nowadays, the only rehabilitation required is removal of the surface and resurfacing with an asphalt overlay. Best of all, the reclaimed Asphalt material is 100% recyclable.

Concrete, on the other hand, requires expensive, time-consuming rehabilitation when it has reached the end of its useful life.

Concrete vs. Asphalt

Additional benefits of asphalt include:

1. Safety: Because asphalt provides a smoother ride, tires are in contact with the ground more often, thus improving safety.
2. Noise: Asphalt is also the quiet pavement.
3. Convenience: Asphalt pavements are faster to construct and rehabilitate.
4. Fuel: Because of its smoother ride, asphalt helps improve fuel economy.
5. Durability: Asphalt is made to withstand everything you can throw at it.

 Reliable Contracting, an Asphalt Contractor in Millersville, Maryland

Reliable Contracting, which is located in Millersville, Maryland, is your single-source solution for all of your asphalt needs, from construction to repair to rehabilitation. As a full service asphalt contractor, we can produce all of today’s high-performance asphalt paving products, or can tailor a mix or installation to suit your project’s specific needs.

If you have any questions about Perpetual Pavement, Sustainability, and the Lifespan of Asphalt, please contact Reliable Contracting today by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

Performance Means Sustainability Asphalt Pavement Alliance

Asphalt is actually one of the most environmentally friendly building materials around.

1. Recycling: Asphalt is actually the most recycled material in the United States. When an old asphalt pavement is removed, 99% of the time it is recycled or reused.
2. Storm Water Runoff: Porous asphalt helps manage storm water runoff, improving water quality.
3. Fuel Efficiency: Because asphalt is so smooth, tires rolling across it encounter less resistance than on other types of pavements. The result: improved fuel economy!
4. Greenhouse Gases: The amount of energy used to produce and the amount of greenhouse gasses produced during asphalt production are much smaller than alternate paving materials.
5. Warm-Mix Asphalt: Because warm-mix asphalt is produced and placed at a lower temperature, it saves energy and reduces the production of harmful greenhouse gases, while still meeting rigorous industry criteria for installation and durability.

Reliable Contracting in Baltimore: Warm-Mix Asphalt Production

At Reliable Contracting, we have always prided ourselves on being an innovator in the use of recycled materials, including burning recycled oil for fuel, producing glassphalt paving mixes, and recycling asphalt and concrete for base materials. But that is just the beginning of our environmentally friendly construction practices. We have recently expanded our capabilities ot include the production of warm-mix asphalt.

If you have any questions about Sustainability, Warm-Mix Asphalt & Reliable Contracting in Baltimore, please contact us today by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

The Sustainability of Asphalt National Asphalt Pavement Association

Cracking in an asphalt surface allows water to penetrate deep down to the base, leading to further cracking, pot holes, and, eventually, premature asphalt failure. This is especially problematic in the winter, due to snow plowing and the freeze/thaw cycle. Because of this, it is extremely important to address cracks as they appear. This is where crack filling comes into play.

The Federal Highway Administration Manual of Practice (FWHA Report Number FHWS-RD-99-147) states that “crack sealing and filling are imperative preventative maintenance tools.”

Crack filling restricts water penetration into the base and sub-base, extending the life of a pavement surface. In fact, a preventative maintenance program, including crack filling, can extend the life of asphalt pavements from 6-20 years, according to the Strategic Highway Research Programs (SHRP) Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) study. Best of all, crack filling is far more cost effective than completely replacing the asphalt surface.

Crack filling is the single most effective and cost-effective way to extend the lifecycle of your deteriorating asphalt surface.

Crack Filling and Asphalt Repair from Reliable Contracting of Millersville

Reliable Contracting Company is a full-service commercial and residential asphalt contractor in Millersville, Maryland. We are your single-source solution for all of your asphalt repair needs, from asphalt patching to crack filling and more.

If you have any questions about Crack Filling and Asphalt Repair or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

The Basics of Crack Filling

Common Asphalt Defects: Cracking

1. Alligator Cracking: Alligator cracking is a load associated structural failure that can be caused by weakness in the surface, base or sub grade; poor drainage; a surface or base that is too thin; or all three.
2. Block Cracking: unlike alligator cracking, block cracking is not load-associated. Instead, block cracking is caused by shrinkage of the asphalt pavement due to an inability of asphalt binder to expand and contract with temperature cycles.
3. Longitudinal Cracking: Running parallel to the pavement’s centerline, longitudinal cracks are the result of pavement fatigue, reflective cracking, and/or poor joint construction.
4. Transverse Cracking: Running perpendicular to the pavement’s centerline, transverse cracks are the result of reflective cracks from an underlying layer, daily temperature cycles, or poor construction.
5. Edge Cracking: Running along the inside of the pavement surface, within one or two feet, edge crack are the most common type of asphalt defects. Edge cracks result from an underlying base material that has settled and weakened.
6. Joint Reflection Cracking: When a flexible pavement overlay is placed over a rigid pavement, like asphalt over concrete, cracks can appear. These are known as joint reflection cracks and they occur directly over the underlying rigid pavement joints.
7. Slippage Cracking: Appearing as crescent-shaped cracks, slippage cracks occur where the new material has slipped over the underlying course.

Common Asphalt Defects: Pot Holes and More

1. Pot Holes: We have all seen a pot hole before. It is a small, bowl-shaped depression in the asphalt that penetrates deep down into the base. They are the result of moisture infiltration.
2. Depressions: Also known as birdbaths, depressions are indentations in the asphalt and are most noticeable after it rains.
3. Rutting: These are channelized depressions in the wheel tracks caused by insufficient pavement thickness; lack of compaction of the asphalt, stone base or soil; weak asphalt mixes; or moisture infiltration.
4. Shoving: Also known as wash boarding, shoving is the formation of ripples in the pavement.
5. Upheaval: Upheaval is a localized upward movement in a pavement due to swelling of the subgrade.

Asphalt Repair from Reliable Contracting in Baltimore, Maryland

Reliable Contracting Company, a full-service commercial asphalt paving contractor in Baltimore, Maryland, can handle all of your asphalt repair needs, including asphalt patching, crack filling, and more. Reliable is your complete, single-source solution for you’re all of your Maryland asphalt paving needs.

If you have any questions about Common Asphalt Defects & Asphalt Repair or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

13 Pavement Defects and Failures You Should Know! PavemanPro.com

“Asphalt is a 100% recyclable material,” said You.

1. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) does not leach petroleum into the earth.
2. Asphalt has a small carbon footprint.
3. Asphalt’s smooth surface helps save fuel.
4. The only maintenance needed is infrequent (every 20-25 years).
5. In 2011, 66.7 million tons of RAP was collected in the United States for use in new pavement.
6. 19% of all asphalt produced in the country was made using warm-mix asphalt (WMA) technologies in 2011.
7. The use of RAP in 2011 translates to a saving of 21.2 million barrels of liquid asphalt binder and $2.2 billion.

“Every year, approximately 73 million tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) are reused, or nearly twice as much as the combined total of 40 million tons of recycled paper, glass, aluminum and plastics,” said Mike Acott, former president of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA).

What is RAP?

RAP is the general term given to asphalt pavement that is reclaimed, properly crushed and screened, and then processed for use again.

What is WMA?

WMA technologies allow asphalt pavement material to be produced, mixed, and paved at lower temperatures. Reductions of 50 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit have been documented. This is beneficial in several ways, including: cutting fuel consumption, decreasing the production of greenhouse gases, better compaction, the ability to haul paving mix for longer distances, and extending the paving season.

“Asphalt pavements are the sustainable option for paving…,” said John Keating, 2013 NAPA Chairman and President.

Reliable Contracting Company: Your Baltimore Asphalt Contractor

Reliable Contracting Company, a full-service residential asphalt paving contractor in Baltimore, Maryland, has always been an innovator in the use of recycled materials, from the burning of recycled oil for fuel to the production of glassphalt paving mixes to recycling asphalt and concrete for base materials. Reliable can produce all of today’s high-performance asphalt paving products, or can tailor a mix or installation to suit your project’s specific needs.

“The way old asphalt pavements can be used to build new ones cannot be matched by any other paving material,” said Mike Kvach, Executive Director of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance.

If you have any questions about Recycled Asphalt or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

Recycling Asphalt Driveways – Early Bird Gets the Worm

Asphalt Pavements Increase Use of Recycled Materials

1. Why is Thick Sealcoating Bad? Sealcoating applied in a thick coat does not dry or cure correctly. Thick sealcoating has a tendency to hold water and stay soft for a longer period of time, possibly causing tracking.
2. Why Apply Multiple Coats? If one coat looks good, why should I have a second coat applied? Well, for starters, appearance is only one of the benefits of sealcoating. In order for the sealcoating to adequately protect your asphalt pavement, the coating must be thick enough to do so. This is why sealcoating is often performed in 2 thin coatings. You will have to sealcoat more frequently if only one coat is applied.
3. Why does Sealcoating Fail? For starters, nothing lasts forever. However, sealcoating will prematurely fail and peel if the pavement surface is not thoroughly cleaned before application. Sealcoating will not bond properly to oil spots, dirt, or grease.
4. What is that White Streak in the Sealcoating? More often than not, white streaking is a result of a problem with the base. The limestone from the base may be coming up with water though pre-existing cracks in the pavement.
5. Why does Sealcoating Dry Gray? When sealcoating dries under less than ideal conditions, it tends to dry gray. However, this issue should correct itself in a few days.
6. Why does Sealcoating Wear Down Quicker in Traffic Lanes, Entrances and Exits? This problem could be twofold. For starters, these areas tend to see more traffic and thus experience more natural wear. Secondly, these surfaces tend to be smoother because of that excessive traffic. This does not allow sealcoating to bond properly.
7. How Long Should You Wait to Sealcoat New Asphalt? Typically, you can sealcoat a freshly laid asphalt surface 4-6 weeks after paving. Your sealcoating contractor will be able to test the pavement to ensure it is ready for sealcoating.
8. How Long Should You Wait to Paint New Sealcoating? You should wait at least 24 hours before applying any paint to your sealcoating.

Reliable Contracting: Your Baltimore Asphalt Contractor

Reliable Contracting Company is a full-service commercial and residential asphalt paving contractor, offering the production and installation of hot and cold-mix asphalt, asphalt patching, milling, and, of course, sealcoating.

If you have any questions about Sealcoating or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

Sealcoating Performance: Frequently Asked Questions PaveManPro.com

“Seal coats are the best tool for preventing or arresting pavement deterioration,” according to Lone Star Roads, the Texas Engineering Extension Service publication. “No different than putting a new roof on a house, the seal coat fills voids and cracks, keeping water out of the pavement structure.”

Other Benefits of Sealcoating

1. Reduces Asphalt Hardening: When air is allowed to penetrate the interconnected void spaces in your asphalt, asphalt hardening occurs. It is an oxidation process that dramatically reduces the lifespan of your asphalt surface. Sealcoating is used to close the surface pores to lengthen the life of the asphalt pavement.
2. Reduces Water Penetration: Similar to the above process, sealcoating also reduces the amount of water that penetrates your asphalt surface. This helps increase the lifespan of the asphalt.
3. Protects Against Corrosion: Sealcoating helps protect your asphalt pavement from the corrosive effects of gasoline, diesel oil, motor oil, and grease that drip onto your asphalt surface.
4. Improves Aesthetics: While not its primary purpose, sealcoating does greatly improve the look of your asphalt surface. Professionally installed sealcoating not only reduces fading, but also gives your parking lot an aesthetically appealing dark black color.
5. And so much more!

“Studies show that preventive maintenance is six to ten times more cost-effective than a “do nothing” maintenance strategy,” according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT). “The goal of such a program is to extend pavement life and enhance system-wide performance in a cost-effective and efficient way.”

Preventative Asphalt Maintenance & Sealcoating from Reliable Contracting, your Baltimore Asphalt Contractor

Reliable Contracting Company is a full-service commercial and residential asphalt paving contractor in Baltimore, Maryland, offering the production and installation of hot and cold-mix asphalt, asphalt patching, milling, crack filling, and, of course, sealcoating. We are your single-source solution for Maryland asphalt paving projects!

If you have any questions about Asphalt Maintenance and Sealcoating or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

Benefits of Preventative Maintenance Pavement Sealers Pavemanpro.com

Crack Filling & Asphalt Repairs

According to the  Federal Highway Administration Manual of Practice (FWHA Report Number FHWS-RD-99-147), “crack sealing and filling are imperative preventative maintenance tools.”

Crack filling is exactly what it sounds like. By filling asphalt cracks, water is prevented from penetrating the surface, weakening the base and sub-base, and deteriorating the asphalt from the inside. Crack filling is the single most effective and cost-effective way to extend the lifecycle of your deteriorating asphalt surface.

Benefits of Crack Filling

1. Stops water from penetrating the base and sub-base
2. Keeps dirt, sand, gravel, and other debris from penetrating cracks
3. Minimizes crack growth
4. Prevents freeze / thaw movement
5. Prevents from developing into pot holes
6. Prevents total failure

Preventative asphalt maintenance, like rack filling, can extend the lifespan of your asphalt surface anywhere from 6-20 years, according to the Strategic Highway Research Programs (SHRP) Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP).

Reliable Contracting: Your Baltimore Asphalt Contractor

Reliable Contracting Company is a full-service commercial and residential asphalt paving contractor, offering the production and installation of hot and cold-mix asphalt, asphalt patching, milling, sealcoating, and, of course, Crack Filling. And with more than 400 employees, 100 trucks and 250 pieces of earthmoving equipment, Reliable Contracting is now Anne Arundel County’s largest site-work contractor. So why call anyone else?

If you have any questions about Crack Filling or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Source:

1. Crack Sealing vs. Crack Filling: Helping Your Client Choose PaveManPro