The Ultimate Paving Guide for You

What Is the Difference Between Road Stabilisation and Repaving?

13 October 2021 by Jimmy Soto

Stabilisation has become a hot topic in Queensland; roads that had been stabilised with foamed bitumen emerged generally unscathed after major flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017. Non-stabilised roads would more than likely have been torn up with the soil under the roads eroded away. Stabilisation creates a roadway bed with a mix of materials from the old bed enhanced with stronger materials meant to combat excessive weight and land destabilisation issues. Note that while strengthening and re-levelling a bed may look like you're stabilising it, it's not the actual process of stabilisation.

Basic Repaving

In repaving, the old road is completely broken up and removed. New asphalt is brought in to create a new bed and a new surface. In other words, repaving merely removes the entire road and installs a new one. While repaving can give you a stronger roadbed, it's a more wasteful process that may not include some of the steps that make stabilised roads so tough. The old road material is not reused and is instead carted away, possibly to a dump; new material has to be brought in, which increases traffic and fuel use, and thus contributes more to road pollution.

Stabilisation Using That Very Road's Material

In stabilisation, the old road is completely broken up and then pulverised. Materials such as foamed bitumen (a combination of cold water and hot bitumen; the cold water makes the hot bitumen expand into a foam) are mixed in with the pulverised road material, and the resulting mix is placed on the level ground where the road will go. The surface layer is added on top of that once the base has dried. The mix is extremely strong yet flexible, creating a roadbed that isn't easily damaged. Should heavy trucks drive over it, the base can absorb the pressure as the vehicles travel over it, resisting damage and road fatigue.

The interesting thing about foamed bitumen is that it is so good at mixing with fine particles. It doesn't just create clumps; it binds to everything and creates a well-mixed material that is highly resistant to failing. It doesn't crack as easily, although the road surface still needs to be sealed, as other asphalt surfaces do.

If you are on a council and need to arrange for local roads to be redone, foamed bitumen stabilisation has proven to be one of the best processes for this need. Contact asphalt and road service companies to get more information about costs, timelines, and everything else that goes into creating stable, strong roadways.

Share  

Search