Parking Lot Paving in Rapid City, SD

Parking lot paving takes a heavier, more carefully drained section than a driveway. A lot carries delivery and garbage trucks, takes plow blades all winter, and around Rapid City may host RVs, buses and motorcycles from all over the country every August when the Sturgis rally brings visitors through. We build new lots, rebuild failed sections and overlay lots that are still sound underneath.

Section and base

HomeGuide recommends 4 inches or more of asphalt for commercial and heavy-use lots. Truck lanes, dumpster areas and loading zones often need more, or a concrete pad where trucks sit with their weight on one spot. Below that, the base has to be thick, compacted and dry. On lots built over shale or clay, we look for heaving and cracking patterns that point to moving ground.

Drainage and snow

Water has to leave the lot. We check inlets, curb openings and low corners, and look at where plows pile snow. A pile that melts across the pavement every sunny afternoon and refreezes every night breaks a lot down quickly. We grade surfaces toward drains and recommend snow storage areas away from the paved traffic lanes.

Overlay or rebuild

HomeAdvisor says lots typically need repaving every 15 to 20 years, with deep cracks repaired first. If most of a lot is structurally fine, we cut out failed areas, rebuild them, seal cracks and overlay. If base failure is widespread, an overlay buys little time and reconstruction is the better spend. We mark the areas and explain the reasons in writing.

Working around your business

We pave in phases so at least one entrance and part of the lot stay open, and schedule around your hours. For lodging, restaurants and retail that depend on summer traffic, we suggest spring or fall work and avoid rally week.

Entrances and approaches

Rapid City's right-of-way guide limits commercial and industrial approach openings to 16 to 28 feet, not counting curb tapers and radius returns, and requires a permit for approach work. If an entrance is on a state highway, the SDDOT area office handles it. We find out which applies before scheduling.

After paving

Once the asphalt has cooled, the lot is striped, including accessible stalls laid out to the 2010 ADA Standards. A maintenance plan of crack sealing and sealcoating keeps a new lot from aging early.