Preparing to Pave Your Business’s Parking Area
Paving the parking lot of your business is an important step for keeping the property easily accessible to your customers. It is also a major logistical undertaking that will require ample planning on your part to successfully complete.
Consider the Flow of Traffic When Designing the Parking Lot
Parking lots can be extremely hazardous areas due to the higher chances of individuals getting involved in accidents. Considering the flow of traffic through the parking lot will be an unnecessary step to keep this area of your business safe. For example, putting the parking spots at an angle can ensure individuals follow the designed path. As part of these considerations, it is also necessary to be mindful of where individuals will walk. Having clearly labeled and illuminated paths for pedestrians can significantly reduce the risk of one of them accidentally being struck by a motorist as they are walking into or out of your business.
Utilize Asphalt to Limit the Time Needed to Complete the Paving Work
A business will need to have any paving to its parking lot completed as quickly as possible to limit the disruptions that it has. Unfortunately, concrete can be a material that will take weeks to fully dry and cure, which means that it will be unusable to your visitors until then. In contrast, asphalt will typically be ready for use as quickly as the day or two after it is poured. Furthermore, the asphalt will also be comparable to concrete in terms of durability and ease of maintenance.
Anticipate Areas Where Standing Water Can Form
Depending on the terrain of your parking lot, there may be some areas that are at a much greater risk of developing large puddles of standing water. These puddles can make the parking lot hazardous to navigate, and it may restrict your customers from being able to comfortably walk to the store. Identifying the areas of the parking lot that are the most likely to suffer this problem can give you a chance to install drain systems that can transport this water away from these areas.
When deciding where to deposit the water, it should be far enough away from the pavement to prevent it from potentially eroding the soil under the asphalt. This could lead to potholes and other problems for the parking lot that may be expensive to repair. For this reason, it may be ideal to channel this water towards the closest storm drain, and this may even be required by your local building codes.
For more assistance, contact commercial paving contractors.