A tough case for paving
Offering exceptional durability, waterproofing and skid resistance, mastic asphalt has been used across the globe on all manner of paving applications for more than a century – from surfacing the pavements around Tower Bridge in London to hundreds of bridges and car parks and one of the biggest civil engineering projects in the world - where it is being used as a surface material on the 31 mile long Hong Kong bridge between Hong Kong and Macau.
Used extensively as a long-life wearing surface in urban situations, where durability and consistency is paramount, modified bituminous materials such as mastic asphalt can bring real benefits to road and pathway construction. Delivering better and longer lasting walkways, and savings in total lifecycle costings, mastic asphalt is capable of out-performing and outlasting all other comparable materials.
Slip and skid resistance can be provided in the wearing course of mastic asphalt by sand rubbing, surface crimping or the application of high polished stone value pre-coated chippings. For local authorities and public pathway specifiers, this added functionality further enhances the material's suitability for public areas – and reduces the potential for any slips and trips.
Another major advantage with mastic asphalt is that it can be laid at speed, reducing the project costs significantly. It also cools very rapidly, allowing foot traffic within two to three hours, depending upon ambient temperature.
Recent projects where the application of mastic asphalt has been proven include work to pavements around Tower Bridge by Infallible Systems and to the Selby Swing Bridge in Yorkshire by BriggsAmasco, where the company machine-laid a waterproof mastic asphalt wearing course for the 1200m2 bridge deck in just five days. Testament to the potential speed of application is currently in China where mastic asphalt paving is being mechanically laid on the Hong Kong bridge at a staggering rate of 6000m2 per day.
With most of the world's paved roads surfaced with asphalt, the versatility of mastic asphalt is legendary. This reliable, well-tested product gives good performance and durability under the most heavily-trafficked conditions, and as a paving material, is tough to beat.
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