Mesquite Grove Estates HOA
Asphalt Crack Fill and Seal
Why do we fill and seal?
Regular maintenance for our roads involves filling in surface cracks, then applying a sealing coat on the road surfaces. This is done about every five years, and helps to protect the roads against hot weathering conditions in the Arizona sun. Although it doesn't restore the roads to 'like new' condition, they do have a nicer appearance after work is completed.
What is the long term plan?
Eventually, the roads will have to be resurfaced by adding several inches of asphalt to the top - we can push this extensive and expensive project out a little more by performing routine maintenance like seal coating.
Sharing information and perceptions
In the page below, some additional information about alligator cracks is shared, as well as a few questions about the project itself. This service was completed by Sunland in November 2024. Please take a few minutes to read the following information and provide feedback. Thanks!
Technical Stuff about Asphalt
01
Roads are layered
Roads are made of multiple layers that are stacked on top of each other to provide strength, adhesion and protection to the layers below.
02
Kinds of Cracks in Roads
Crack fill is performed on wider cracks that are longitudinal or transverse (industry best practice)
03
Base Versus Surface Cracks
Sometimes the base layers underneath settle and don’t hold the weight of the road above. Cracks form underneath the surface. This can be due to lack of adequate compaction when it was built, natural causes, or excessively heavy vehicle traffic (a).
To compare, surface cracks are shown (b).
04
Why Do Alligator Cracks Form?
When the weight of the road isn’t adequately supported, a pattern of cracks that join in irregular shapes form - these resemble the back of an alligator. Alligator cracks can also form in areas of poor drainage with chronically standing water, and are made worse by winter snow freezing and thawing (a). In comparison, surface cracks of a recently-sealed street are shown (b)
05
Remediation
Some of the cracks in an alligator area may be filled, but filling all the areas is harmful to the long-term health of the streets. Because the depth of an alligator crack can’t be filled, air underneath can expand in summer heat and push the fill material out. Filling some of the cracks in an alligator area is ok, as long as adjacent areas are not filled – this allows trapped air to escape.
Best practices for repair of smaller alligator areas are to remove the sections and repair the subgrade layer. This is an expensive process and can be done prior to an asphalt overlay.
Sealing the surface is done periodically, to protect the material underneath. It provides some barrier to water penetration, much like sealing a granite countertop or waxing a car.