Best Practices For Paving A Parking Garage In Atlanta

Parking garages are the unsung heroes of dense, urban areas. Unlike surface lots that require expansive horizontal space, garages take advantage of vertical space. Multilevel garages can accommodate hundreds of vehicles in a relatively confined area, making them perfect for busy areas. Of course, they’re also more challenging to build and pave. Paving a parking garage is no easy task and requires more strategic planning to do right. Read on to learn more about parking garage paving best practices that can make all the difference.

Are There Space Limitations On A Parking Garage?

Space is usually not an issue on open asphalt parking lots. That’s not the case with commercial parking garages, where contractors must navigate around support structures and lower roofs. Careless operations with improper equipment could lead to accidents that cause injuries or damage. It’s best practice for contractors to use shorter and smaller equipment.

Large, heavy-duty rollers used for traditional asphalt paving won’t cut it in a parking garage. When planning an asphalt paving project in a garage, it’s important to consider ceiling height, the distance between support beams, and other obstructions.

How Much Weight Can a Commercial Garage Support?

All asphalt paving in Atlanta requires a strong foundation. However, things are different in a commercial parking garage. Upper levels typically utilize concrete slab floors. The lowest ground level may use asphalt; it needs a strong foundation before paving or repaving. It’s vital to ensure stability before working on the rest of the structure. The building must be structurally sound before paving below or around a commercial parking garage. Otherwise, the work involved in completing asphalt paving projects could cause significant damage or even trigger a collapse.

Fortunately, most commercial parking garages are built to last. Most building codes require live loads of at least 40 pounds per square foot. Even still, ensure the structure is stable before parking garage paving begins.

Does Paving Require Shutting the Structure Down?

Open-air asphalt paving in Atlanta can produce considerable dust and fumes. However, they easily dissipate in good conditions. With parking garage paving, you’re dealing with a confined space. In addition to ensuring teams have proper protective gear, shut the garage down to minimize the impact on visitors.

While your parking lot paving efforts may be down on ground level, keeping access open to upper floors can still be dangerous. With powerful equipment producing considerable noise and vibrations, being anywhere in a commercial parking garage during a paving project is risky. Whether it’s totally enclosed or partially open, the best approach is to block access and keep vehicles off the structure while completing parking garage paving.

How Important Is Lighting When Completing Parking Lot Paving Projects?

Lighting is a critical element of parking garage paving. Traditional asphalt paving in Atlanta occurs in the daytime, during which workers can take advantage of natural sunlight. However, parking garages are notoriously dark. Even with integrated lighting used during regular operation, contractors can struggle to see what they do when working with asphalt in a garage. Therefore, it’s best practice to bring in powerful work lights. Keep electricity flowing to your garage and allow teams to do what they need to illuminate the space as they work.

Whether you need parking lot paving or garage work, turn to The Surface Masters. We’re an award-winning asphalt company that specializes in commercial work. We understand the logistics of paving a garage, taking all safety precautions and following best practices to get things done. Your satisfaction is our top priority, so we work hard to deliver outstanding results no matter the complexity of your needs. That applies to all our services, including new asphalt paving, repairs, milling and reclamation, resurfacing, pavement markings, crack sealing, and more.

Get your free quote today by calling The Surface Masters at (770)250-6392, email info@thesurfacemasters.com, or submit your contact information using our online form for a callback.