Dykes Paving has over 30 years of experience in the development and use of recycled materials for their paving projects. Their materials meet industry standards, are strong, affordable, and meet LEED certification for associated credits. The use of recycled construction materials in your pavement projects allows the opportunity to protect the environment, reduce the use of new materials, save money, and also have a high-quality product.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification is another of the many benefits offered by using recycled materials. Note that the following information concerns LEED Certification credits and Dykes Paving’s expertise in the industry to learn more about the LEED program in general sense click here.

LEED Certification Points and Credits

Use of recycled materials in your Atlanta LEED Projects allows your business to gain points in the following two areas based on the materials used and the location of origin of these materials.

1. Materials and Resources Credit 4 Recycled Content: credits are earned by the use of recycled materials in your paving projects. To simplify the more recycled material used in the completion of the project the more points are gained. The scale is 10 percent is one point, 20 percent two points, and an extra point may be earned if 30 percent or more of the project’s costs use recycled materials. As industry experts, Dykes Paving materials are 100 percent made from recycled materials allowing you to gain the maximum amount of credits.

2. Materials and Resources Credit 5 Regional Materials: additional points can be earned based on where recycled materials are sourced from. Recycled materials are considered regional if they are processed and manufactured within 500 miles of the job’s location. Regional Material credits use the same percentage and point scale as the Recycled Content credits. Much like Dykes Paving’s commitment to recycled materials they are also committed to using local materials from the surrounding greater Atlanta area.

Projects That Should Make Use Of LEED Certified Paving

Another of LEED certified pavings advantage is that it can be used in many different paving projects. The use of recycled material does not limit the paving’s strength or durability and it can be used for structural fills, as a road base, to support existing infrastructure, drainage systems, storm water control, and in projects where soil needs to be stabilized. LEED certified paving should be considered for any project that has a need in the above-listed areas.

Lastly, when considering a paving expert you want to hire a company with the experience and knowledge needed to do the project right. With decades of experience, Dykes Paving can help complete any LEED paving projects.

Sealcoating

Sealcoating involves spraying a coal-tar pitch emulsion over existing asphalt, primarily for cosmetic reasons. It does almost nothing to improve the integrity of the asphalt, wears off in a year or two, and creates fine particulates that are tracked into your home or business, to become airborne and embed in the lungs. According to the USGS, “Results from a new study by researchers from Baylor University and the USGS indicate that living adjacent to a coal-tar-sealed pavement is associated with significant increases in estimated excess lifetime cancer risk, and that much of the increased risk occurs during early childhood.”

Many asphalt contractors offer coal-tar pitch sealcoating because their customers do not understand its risks. The product does give a smooth, deep black appearance to an asphalt driveway or parking lot – for a short time. Compared to other options that can last a decade or more, coal-tar pitch sealcoating usually only lasts one or two years before tires and foot traffic wears it off.

Coal-Tar Pitch

Sealcoating, whether done by homeowners buying five-gallon buckets from home improvement stores or sprayed down by contractors, is typically 20 to 35 percent coal-tar pitch, containing 50,000 to 100,000 parts per million polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is far greater than the PAHs found in asphalt-based sealcoat materials, and many, many times greater than PAH exposure from resurfaced asphalt.

Asphalt-based Sealcoating

The southern, eastern and central United States typically uses coal-tar pitch sealcoating, with the western United States using asphalt-based sealcoat. This is because steel plants that create the raw product to make coal-tar pitch sealcoating are largely located in the eastern half of the United States. Getting asphalt-based sealcoating in sufficient quantities to be commercially useful is cost-prohibitive in the south and east.

Better Alternatives to Sealcoating

Resurfacing is a far greener, efficient and durable option than sealcoating. Resurfacing recycles the top layer of an asphalt paved area and lays down a fresh, 1 ½ to two-inch layer of fresh asphalt. This gives the desired smooth, black finish and releases far fewer PAHs than sealcoating.
In the hands of a professional contractors like Dykes Paving, with our innovative techniques such as Perma Flex® and our stewardship of resources, resurfacing:

• reduces consumption of raw materials
• saves energy
• releases far fewer volatiles
• recycles the old asphalt surface

If your commercial project, renovation or remodeling job is seeking Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification, consider resurfacing rather than sealcoating. Benefits of resurfacing and recycling include:

• Conservation of natural habitat
• Diversion of waste destined for landfills
• Durability
• Less maintenance
• Lower costs
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

A resurfaced driveway or parking lot is many times more durable than the superficial sealcoating sprayed on top of an existing asphalt surface. Because a thick, fresh layer of asphalt containing recycled material and new hot mix is applied and tamped down, the surface is unbroken and completely flat. Water runoff improves, vehicle damage is reduced, and trip and fall hazards diminish.

If you are concerned about avoiding exposure to cancer-causing PAHs for you, your family or employees, consider resurfacing your asphalt driveway or parking lot. Contact Dykes to discuss resurfacing options today.

The world we live in today is radically different from the world of a few generations ago. As we continue to evolve, progress, and change, we need to look at the way we live in this world. The next time it rains, take a look outside your window. Where does all of that water go? It has to go somewhere, and as we build more and more sidewalks, driveways, roadways, and parking lots, the water has fewer porous outlets to allow it to seep back into the earth.

Thankfully, technology is progressing to meet some of the demands we place on our planet. One innovative option is something called “permeable paving.” This type of pavement is a modern, sustainable solution that can cut down on flooding.

What Is Permeable Paving?

Basically, any street or sidewalk made with permeable materials, like porous concrete or unit pavers, is a permeable pavement. It allows air and water to pass quickly and easily through it into the soil. This provides the opportunity for storm water storage and/or the soil to recharge its necessary supply of groundwater. Another benefit is that permeable pavement reduces the amount of pollutants that go into our water supply. While permeable pavement acts very differently to traditional pavement, it looks just like other paved surface.

Where Can Permeable Paving Be Used?

Small property owners can benefit from permeable paving, as well as neighborhood developers looking to attain LEED certification. This green option is a great way to minimize negative impacts on the planet from development, like flooding and storm water pollution. Permeable paving can be done on its own or in connection with other green enhancements, such as:

• Street trees
• Bioretention planters
• Sidewalk landscaping

In terms of location, permeable paving is appropriate for all street types.  Here are some of the places where it works best:

• Sloped paving surface of 5 percent or less
• Sidewalks, driveways, park areas, shared streets, plazas, walking paths, bike paths, open parking lots
• Parking strips or gutters not used with traffic or bus stops
• Streets that do not experience high traffic

Where Can’t It Be Used?

There are still some places, however, where its use is less than ideal. These include:

• Hillsides with a slope greater than 20 percent
• Traffic lanes that experience heavy congestion
• Areas that have a history of shallow groundwater contamination
• An place that is subject to chemical spillage, or where businesses such as gas stations, car washes or auto repairs shops are located
• Streets with a history of combined sewer overflows unless as part of a project aimed at eliminating such overflows
• Areas with shallow groundwater or seasonal high groundwater (less than 4 feet) if receiving run-on (storm water runoff from adjacent areas)
• Within 20 feet of sub-sidewalk basements if receiving runoff
• Within 50 feet of domestic water wells if receiving runoff

How is Permeable Paving Designed?

It is necessary to determine soil conditions in the area where permeable paving is to be installed. These conditions include percolation rate and infiltration capabilities, depth to the water table, depth to bedrock, and soil contamination. When the project is being designed, there are some common materials for the paving surface to consider:

• Permeable hot-mix asphalt, typically 2.5 inches deep
• Permeable concrete, which is similar to standard concrete but lacking items such as sand, typically 4 to 8 inches deep
• Interlocking block pavers

How is Permeable Paving Maintained?

Just like most everything else, this special type of pavement requires some periodic maintenance. Once or twice a year vacuuming, or sweeping, (depending on the size of the area) should be performed when the sediments are dry. The pavement should also be tested yearly to determine if it is clogged in any way. Broken or damaged pavement must be fixed or replaced.

If you are interested in enhancing your neighborhood with permeable paving, or if you are concerned about flooding from a proposed development, consider permeable pavement. It is a great solution to help out the planet right outside your door.