One of the main factors or component of every country’s economy is the transportation industry. This industry is not only involved in making the economy work smoothly but also branches out to other facets of life as it facilitates the transportation of ordinary civilized in their daily activities. One important part of transportation is transportation by road.
The advancement of technology has opened up more ways to transport goods and people from one location to another in unimaginable speed. However, the importance of roads cannot be overemphasized. Roads remain the earliest and one of the most important forms of transportation. It also remains the most used mode of transportation. It is no surprise then, that the need to have roads which are in good shape and quality is a pressing need in our world today. These need seem to have been finally met by the advent of asphalts which contains a lot of bitumen
Construction of roads has been modernized by the use of asphalt better known as bitumen. This ingredient has resulted in many benefits as it concerns roads such as better roads for transportation, durability levels have increased and much more. But, what do we know about the asphalt plants who are responsible for the production of bitumen or asphalt? Here are some key facts you should know about asphalt plants;
- EMISSIONS AND REGULATORY BODIES
Because of misinformation, asphalts plants have been accused of emitting harmful products during production. These products which are believed to be harmful to the environment at large. However, the truth is that most asphalt plants have a good record with regulatory bodies which duty is to observe the number of emissions which is produced each week. For example in the United States, asphalt plants are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency whose task is to protect the environment from the emission of harmful substances.
However, these agencies have acknowledged the fact that the emissions which are generated by asphalt plants during production are very low and less more harmful to the general public. This is because most asphalt plants are equipped with equipment which helps to control pollution here hereby reducing the pollution level significantly. This would simply re-enforce the idea that asphalts are essential to the future of all road construction. All fears concerning the emission produced by the asphalt plants should be completely allayed. It is safe and guarantees healthy lives for all humans
- THE HEARTBEAT OF THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY
The production of asphalts in large quantities has led to the high level of importance being placed on asphalts today in the road construction industry. In the United States alone, asphalts contributes to more 90% of all roads constructed. This means that asphalt is now one of the major ingredients which are used in the construction of roads today. The reasons why asphalts is this important to the road construction industry are quite numerous. Some of them include;
- Asphalts has a very high level of durability. This is one of the major attraction of asphalts. Roads which are constructed with asphalts lasts way longer than roads which are created without it. Therefore, when asphalts are used in road construction, it is expected that the road would last for more than 30 years before it might need to be renovated or maintained. This is simply remarkable! This is one reason why it had gathered so much popularity among road construction workers
- The initial cost of asphalts is quite low compared to its value. This is amazing for an ingredient which has led to so much development in the construction of roads. The value is high due to the other strengths such as the ability for asphalts to be recycled. Now the mere fact that asphalts can be recycled is enough to save almost half of the initial costs of buying asphalts. This alone combined with the fact asphalts is an amazing ingredient make the use of asphalts a no-brainer.
- Asphalts, when used to construct roads, are good for trailers which use the roads. The surface which asphalt create on the road is usually smooth which gives tires the necessary friction to function properly. Therefore the smooth surface can serve the achieve the goal of rendering the trailer’s tires completely functional and reduces the risk of an accidents
- ASPHALT SHOULD BE STORED IN A WARM TEMPERATURE
When producing asphalt, it must be noted that asphalt is to be used in a warm temperature. This is an important especially when asphalt is being transported from one place to another. Trailers that transport asphalts over a long distance will have to heater equipment stored in the trailer. Without this, it might result in rendering trailers unfit for the transportation of asphalt. It might result in degrading the quality of the asphalt before it even reaches their destination.
- ASPHALTS CONSTRUCTION CAN BE DONE AT NIGHT
One problem faced by the companies which construct is the obstacles it creates for other vehicles whose desire is to pass that road. Sometimes this can create undue traffic and worse even accidents. However, the advent of asphalts has solved most of the problems faced by these construction companies.
This is due to the fact that road construction which makes use of asphalts can be constructed at night. This amazing capability makes asphalts to a hot commodity in the road construction industry today.
- ASPHALTS SUPPORTS ALL TYPES OF VEHICLES
Another amazing feature of asphalts as it affects road construction is its ability to accommodate the use of different types of vehicles on the road. This means, therefore, that cars are not the only beneficiaries of the production and use of asphalt. All vehicles also benefit accordingly. These vehicles could include;
- Buses
- Bikes
- Trailers
- Bicycles and so much more
This means that asphalt is an essential quality when making both roads and pavements because its use cuts across all modes of road transportation.
These are some fact you should keep in mind when considering how asphalt contributes to the construction of roads.
August 14, 2018