Asphalt contractors RWSA are roadway specialists based in the Wollongong area. When it comes to constructing and maintaining asphalt roads, driveways and carparks in Australia, we are your one-stop shop. We also do road marking, speed hump and traffic sign installation, pothole repairs and patching, all kinds of roadway drainage and shoulder maintenance and we also have our own traffic control teams.
RWSA install and maintain asphalt for:
- Roads
- Driveways
- Carparks
If you are looking to find an asphalt paving company for your project, call RWSA today!
Road Construction & Maintenance
Asphalt contractors RWSA build and maintain roads throughout the Illawarra, Sydney, Southern Highlands and Goulburn areas. Our road maintenance services include pothole repairs, patching, line marking maintenance, road shoulder repairs, speed hump installation, maintenance of roadside marker posts. We also attend to unblocking of storm-water drains and roadside gutter cleaning and maintenance.
RWSA also engages in mowing and vegetation control along roadsides and intersections. Maintenance programs include removal of graffiti, rubbish, and debris.
At RWSA, the overall safety of a road for its users is our topmost concern. If there are any road safety concerns we are able to perform detailed risk assessments for submission to the relevant roads and traffic authorities.
Asphalt Driveways
Asphalt makes a great alternative to concrete for the construction of residential and farm driveways.
Cost
Asphalt, as a driveway construction material, is considerably cheaper than concrete.
Durability
It is true that concrete is generally more durable than asphalt, however, with the timely application of sealer, well-constructed asphalt driveways will last at least 30 years.
Cracking
Asphalt can be less prone to unsightly cracking than concrete. If you walk down a suburban street, it is easy to find a concrete driveway with unsightly cracks caused by extreme temperature changes or subsidence. Because asphalt is a more flexible material than concrete, it is less prone to these effects.
Appearance
People tend to think of asphalt as being dark and drab. Concrete driveways, on the other hand, they see concrete driveways dressed up with various techniques, such as painting and stencilling, to make them more appealing. For this reason, people often expect concrete driveways to be more pleasing to the eye.
However, developments in the manufacture of specialised paints and sealers mean that now, you can also have your asphalt driveway coated or stencilled. With modern techniques, asphalt can look every bit as good as any concrete driveway. Any of the colours available for coating concrete are also available for asphalt, meaning appearance is no longer an issue when choosing between materials.
Range of possibilities
While cost, appearance and durability are factors of concern for most people, finding the right balance for your situation is important to us. There is a wide range of possible design alternatives when it comes to driveway construction. Call RWSA today and let us know about your driveway requirements. We will assess your various needs and offer advice and solutions for a driveway that will suit you best.
Carparks
Along with the vehicles and roads we use to get around, being able to park efficiently and safely is an important need in today’s world. Asphalt is often the preferred construction material for carparks for residential and commercial parking. Whether you need a new carpark constructed or an existing one updated or maintained, RWSA is ready to assist you.
A modern carpark is more than simply an expanse of asphalt. A carpark needs to make efficient use of the space available and should be safe for both drivers and pedestrians. A carpark may feature line markings, signs, speed bumps, wheel stops, walkways and accessibility ramps and shopping trolley return bays. RWSA has all the expertise to provide any of the features you would expect for your parking lot.
What is Asphalt?
Technically, Asphalt (also known as bitumen or pitch) is a black glue-like substance commonly used for making sealed roads. It’s very similar to tar, but while asphalt is a derivative of petroleum, tar is a by-product of coal gas manufacturing. Road making can use either asphalt or tar. However, since natural gas has replaced coal gas as a major source of energy, tar is less readily available. This has led to asphalt as the preferred road sealing substance.
Often when people talk about asphalt, they are really referring to asphalt concrete, a composite material forming the surface of most roads, streets, highways and motorways. Asphalt concrete contains asphalt, plus a mineral aggregate such as sand, crushed rock, gravel and slag, or recycled building materials. To form a solid and durable road surface, we must bind the mineral aggregate together with some other substance. Because of asphalt’s glue-like properties, it is up to the task. With asphalt binding and setting the harder mineral materials, this concrete becomes a useful road surfacing material.
So, while asphalt is a technically a binding substance derived from petroleum, we use it more often to mean the asphalt concrete we see on our roads. Other terms commonly used for asphalt concrete are bitumen, tarmac and blacktop.
Asphalt Road Construction Options
There are a variety of different options available for asphalt road construction.
What is Hot Mix?
Hot mix is created by mixing asphalt and mineral aggregate at temperatures of approximately 150 degrees Celsius. While still hot, asphalt contractors transport it from the mixing facility to the worksite, where they spread it out and roll it flat to form a smooth, compacted surface. After compaction, the asphalt is cools and hardens, creating the durable road surface we enjoy. Hot mix asphalt normally cools enough to be driven on within an hour or so.
Hot mix asphalt concrete is the highest quality road surface, and typically used for high traffic roads. The ratio of aggregate to asphalt in hot mix is approximately 20:1. It is also the most expensive asphalt roadbuilding material.
What is Spray Seal?
A different approach to road building is the use of spray seal. The process involves spraying a layer of liquid asphalt evenly on a prepared roadbase surface. After this, workers spread a layer of mineral aggregate on top of the asphalt layer. A compactor then rolls the aggregate into the asphalt, creating a completed road surface.
This is one-layer spray seal asphalt, and is the least expensive way to create an asphalt road. A two-layer spray seal asphalt road, which is more expensive, simply involves applying a second layer of asphalt, aggregate, and compacting.
What is Cold Mix?
Cold mix asphalt is similar to hot mix, in that it is a mixture of asphalt and mineral aggregate. However, as the name implies, cold mix does not require heating. Instead, it becomes workable through emulsification. The worker combines the asphalt with water, made possible by adding an emulsifier to the mix. They can then mix the emulsified asphalt with the aggregate to create a workable surfacing material.
Cold mix asphalt hardens when the water evaporates. It is convenient, but less durable than hot mix. Therefore, it’s best suited to pothole repairs and patching, or similar situations where less strength is required.
What is Road-base?
Roadbase or base-course is simply a layer of aggregate upon which asphalt is laid. Asphalt contractors must compact and smooth the roadbase with rollers before installing the asphalt on top.
What is Subbase?
Subbase is a coarser aggregate than roadbase. Asphalt contractors might lay sub-base as a foundation layer beneath the road-base.
Not just Asphalt Contractors!
In comparison to other asphalt contractors, RWSA has one significant difference. What sets us apart is our capacity to do just about everything relating to asphalt roads, driveways and carparks. Unlike other asphalt paving companies, we are able to supply the complete workforce required to complete your project efficiently and safely. Whenever traffic safety needs to be maintained, we supply our own qualified traffic control personnel. RWSA can install the signs, barriers and traffic calming devices required for any situation on the roads of NSW and other states in Australia. We also keep the sides of the road tidy, functional and safe.
When it comes to installing and maintaining roads, driveways and car parking areas, RWSA is your one-stop asphalt contractors. Call us today on 0448 153 694.