Soil Stabilization
The process by which soft ground is made hard is called stabilization or bridging. This can be achieved by several methods depending on the type of soil present and the degree of stabilization you need to have. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the paving process.
It is possible to pave on soft ground, but the life span of the paving is cut drastically short. Using asphalt paving to “bridge” soft ground with a hard surface is a gamble. Neither asphalt nor concrete are intended to bridge. They are both designed as a wearing surface only.
Soil Stabilization is responsible for a large portion of change orders. This can be overwhelming bad news to a property that has allocated all of their money into redoing a lot that now needs several tens of thousands of dollars in sub grade stabilization.
You can protect yourself from these surprises by hiring an engineering firm to take some core samples of the area you want to pave or R&R before you bid the work out.
Processing
Processing is a method by which water is mixed into the soil until it has reached the proper (optimum) amount as determined by a soils lab. At optimum moisture, the compaction percentage will be able to reach its’ maximum potential. After this occurs, the results are good for 24 hours and the lot is typically paved the next day.
