Parking Lot Paving in Columbus, OH

Parking lot paving is a bigger job than a driveway in every way. A lot takes more vehicles, heavier trucks and constant turning, and it covers enough area that moving water off it is an engineering problem. Columbus lots for shopping centers, offices, churches, apartment complexes and warehouses also take a beating from snowplows every winter. Lots built thin or graded poorly give themselves away: ruts at the dumpster pad, potholes where delivery trucks swing in, and ponds that freeze into ice sheets in front of the entrance.

Heavier sections where it counts

Drive lanes, entrances, loading areas and dumpster pads carry the heaviest loads and need a thicker asphalt section and a stronger base than parking stalls. Many lots use a heavier section in the lanes and a lighter one in the stalls. When a project has engineered plans, we build to them. When it does not, we explain the section we propose and why.

Drainage on flat ground

Central Ohio is mostly flat, so lot grades are often gentle and small mistakes in elevation leave water standing. We check slopes to the inlets, curb openings and edges, and fix low areas during repair or rebuild work. In winter, standing water becomes ice, which turns a drainage defect into a slip hazard. New lots and expansions that add impervious area may also need stormwater review; we help you confirm requirements early with the city or township.

Choosing the fix for an older lot

Most existing lots fall into one of four groups. A lot that is largely solid, with a few failed patches, gets spot repairs followed by crack sealing and sealcoat. A lot whose surface is worn out but whose base is still carrying traffic is a good fit for milling and overlay, which grinds off the top layer and lays new asphalt at the same elevation, so curbs, inlets and doorways stay where they are. A lot where alligator cracking and settling cover large areas needs a full-depth rebuild of those sections. And a lot that is simply too small can be expanded, with the new pavement keyed into the old so the seam does not open after the first winter.

Keeping customers parking

A retail center, clinic or church rarely can shut its lot for days. Before work starts we draw up a phasing map that shows which sections close on which days and which entrance stays open, and we can schedule loud or messy steps for evenings, weekends or the gaps between services.

Maintenance planning

A lot that is crack sealed and sealcoated on a schedule lasts much longer than one left until it fails. HomeAdvisor lists asphalt lots at about 20 to 30 years of life and suggests planning on repaving every 15 to 20 years. We can set up an inspection, crack sealing, sealcoating and restriping schedule so costs are predictable.

Striping and accessible parking

New and resurfaced lots are restriped, and restriping brings the lot under the 2010 ADA Standards for accessible parking. A lot with 26 to 50 spaces, for example, needs two accessible spaces, at least one of them van-accessible. We lay out accessible stalls, aisles and signs to match.