5 Major Asphalt Advances to Watch in 2022 From Calvac Paving

From the highway to the driveway, asphalt paving gets you where you need to go. Humanity has been using asphalt and bitumen for projects as diverse as waterproofing, shipbuilding, and road paving for millennia, and it has continued to prove its utility at every turn. In 2022, Calvac Paving is excited about some new advances in paving technology that could be game-changers for drivers, owners, stakeholders, and local, state, and federal authorities and agencies alike. These are the five major asphalt advances you’ll want to watch in 2022, brought to you by your friends at Calvac Paving!  

Alternative Paving Materials

From cigarette butts to recycled plastic to rubber-modified asphalt (RMA), scientists worldwide are exploring the application of old materials, used in new ways to enhance the strength, longevity, sustainability, recyclability, and resilience of asphalt paving. These alternative paving materials may help combat issues like the “urban heat island” effect, keeping asphalt-paved surfaces cooler and allowing them to trap less heat year-round. They also offer new ways to reduce waste, reuse materials, and recycle “junk” materials that are typically discarded, helping break the waste chain and creating a healthier environment by keeping these materials out of landfills, waterways, and oceans.  

Smart Pavement

Technology may soon make your morning commute or your summer trips safer and easier, with fewer bumps and less noise! Integrated sensors that report everything from traffic conditions to overall roadway and pavement health are being tested around the globe. Nanoparticle-based noise- and vibration-damping adhesive binders for asphalt mixes are under investigation as a potential solution to problems such as roadway chipping and pitting. And roadways that charge electric vehicles as they drive using wireless recharging technologies are in active use or the planning stages from Sweden to Michigan to Norway, solving one of the EV’s biggest hurdles while also making paving even more environmentally friendly!  

Asphalt Continues Its Reign As The World’s Most Recycled Material.

  Roughly 100 million tons of asphalt pavement mix are produced each year globally. Of that amount, an estimated 95% is reclaimed, reused, recycled, or repurposed, making asphalt one of the planet’s most readily recyclable materials. Perhaps most importantly, recycling asphalt helps keep costs lower and reduces reliance on foreign oil to create the bitumen binder that gives asphalt paving its flexibility. With all these factors going for asphalt, it’s reasonable to expect even bigger pushes to maximize asphalt recycling up to a full 100% in 2022 and beyond.  

Inflation And Rising Oil Prices

Between the war in Ukraine and US embargos on Russian goods, including oil, the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on shipping and trade, and a period of high inflation, prices are only getting higher for just about everything—and asphalt pavement is no exception. Recycling and the use of alternative paving materials will help offset this increase greatly, but paving contractors and stakeholders can still expect to see reduced profits and higher up-front costs, at least through the summer.  

Striping

 Some of the biggest advances and hottest trends in paving technology don’t really have to do with the pavement itself—but the paint! Striping is a perennial headache for entities from the federal government all the way down to small business owners trying to keep their parking stalls and handicapped spaces ADA-compliant, but new formulas and application methodologies appear poised to change that in 2022. New advances in striping paint include more eco-friendly options, nanotechnology and microfibers for increased durability and longer utility life, and additives and refined formulas for heightened visibility. Autonomous, self-piloting robotic paint sprayers which deploy striping more uniformly, more accurately, and with a greater level of precision than humans are capable of are making a big impression across the industry.   At Calvac Paving, we’re excited about (most of) what 2022 has in store for the paving industry, as well as how new advances and technologies are going to change both the paving industry and the face of our world. Since 1974, we’ve been committed to making the use of concrete and asphalt paving in construction as efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly as possible. Because of this commitment to a greener, cleaner planet for all, and better-forming pavement applications for our customers and stakeholders, we’re looking forward to seeing the next big advances and putting them to work! When you need a Bay Area paving contractor with an unparalleled safety record who goes above and beyond to deliver consistently outstanding results, click here to contact Calvac Paving. Let us show you what sets Calvac Paving apart from other paving contractors and why we’re the paving company the Bay Area trusts from the driveway to the highway and home again!