If you are familiar with images of concrete structures that were built centuries ago, you might wonder whether concrete can last forever. Unfortunately, it will not. Just like bricks, wood, metal, and every other building material, concrete will deteriorate over time. Fortunately, you can still get many decades of service from a Dallas concrete parking lot. Some parking lots are still going strong more than 50 years after they were built, while others need major repairs or reconstruction in 20 or 30 years. The longevity of your new parking lot will depend on several factors.
What Are the Four Primary Factors Affecting the Longevity of a Concrete Parking Lot?
Although the weather, the stability of the underlying soil, and the parking lot’s proximity to trees or large shrubs with invasive roots can affect longevity, they are relatively minor. The four primary factors that affect the longevity of a Dallas concrete parking lot are the skills of the contractor, the type of vehicles that use the lot, the number of vehicles that use the lot, and the maintenance the concrete receives.
1. Not all concrete parking lot contractors are equally experienced or equally committed to delivering superior work. Concrete contractors must design a parking lot so that the pavement is strong enough to bear the expected loads without breaking. They must decide where to place expansion joints, how to ensure proper drainage, and which concrete mix to use. An error or an improper shortcut at any stage could result in a shorter life for your Dallas concrete parking lot.
2. Experienced concrete companies in Dallas know that they must consider the weight of the vehicles that will be using the parking lot. Basically, heavier vehicles require stronger pavements. Therefore, a Dallas concrete company will design a parking lot differently if the traffic will consist of tractor-trailers than if it will just need to support passenger vehicles.
3. Concrete parking lot contractors must also consider the number of vehicles that the lot will need to support. In general, parking lots that have thousands of cars entering and exiting every day need to be stronger than those that only support a dozen or so cars.
4. The maintenance that a concrete parking lot receives during its life can affect its longevity. If cracks or other breaks are ignored, water can penetrate and affect the stability of the ground beneath the parking lot.
Considering the Above Factors, What Are Some Examples of the Longevity of a Parking Lot?
Assuming a Dallas concrete company designs and installs the parking lot correctly, the owner maintains it properly, and there are no unusual sources of damage, its life should be within a particular range.
1. If your Dallas concrete parking lot is used exclusively by tractor-trailers, heavy construction equipment, buses, or other high-weight vehicles, its life expectancy should be between 20 and 25 years.
2. If your concrete parking lot supports only passenger vehicles, it could last anywhere from 35 years to 50 years. The lower life expectancy represents a higher volume of traffic, while the higher life expectancy represents a lower volume.
3. A Dallas concrete parking lot that supports a mixture of lightweight and heavyweight vehicles will usually have a life expectancy of 25 to 40 years. The volume of traffic for each weight class will have a significant impact on where within that range the actual longevity will fall.
4. A parking lot that supports fewer than 50 or so passenger vehicles could last 50 to 60 years, but a more reasonable estimate is 35 to 45 years.
HI-TEK Paving Services is a locally owned, well-respected Dallas concrete company offering the installation of concrete parking lots, sidewalks, ramps, dumpster pads, and curbs. We also offer concrete repairs, asphalt paving and resurfacing, parking lot striping, asphalt repairs, parking lot maintenance, asphalt crack repairs, and sealcoating. We serve commercial clients throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. We are known for our responsiveness, craftsmanship, dependability, service, professionalism, and integrity. For a free quote, call 214-908-9641, use our online request form, or email Kevin@HI-TEKPaving.com.