For Ann Arbor commercial property owners, summer presents both unique challenges and valuable opportunities for asphalt maintenance. As temperatures rise and seasonal activities increase, your parking lots and driveways face distinct stressors that require specialized attention. From the scorching July heat to the influx of visitors during summer festivals, your commercial asphalt needs strategic care to remain in optimal condition.
Summer provides ideal conditions for many essential maintenance procedures that aren’t possible during Michigan’s colder months. With proper planning, commercial properties can leverage the warm weather to implement repairs, protective treatments, and even major renovations with minimal business disruption. This comprehensive guide explores how Ann Arbor businesses can protect their asphalt investments while navigating the busy summer season.
Bart’s Asphalt has served Ann Arbor’s commercial properties for years, developing specialized expertise in summer maintenance strategies. Their understanding of local conditions and commercial needs ensures your property receives care that’s aligned with both the season and your business requirements.
How Summer Heat Affects Your Commercial Asphalt
Asphalt pavement responds directly to temperature changes, and Michigan’s summer heat creates specific conditions that affect your commercial surfaces. Asphalt softens as temperatures rise, making it more susceptible to deformation under heavy traffic. Surface temperatures on dark asphalt can reach 140-160°F during peak summer days, accelerating oxidation and aging of the binder materials.
UV radiation poses another significant challenge, breaking down the oils in asphalt and leading to surface drying and brittleness. This process, known as oxidation, accelerates during Ann Arbor’s sunny summer days and can reduce your pavement’s flexibility and resilience. Additionally, summer heat often brings oil spots to the surface as vehicles leak fluids onto the softened asphalt, creating both aesthetic issues and potential surface damage.
Commercial properties should watch for warning signs including soft spots, surface sheen on hot days, accelerated cracking, and pavement bleeding (where asphalt binder rises to the surface creating shiny areas). Identifying these issues early allows for timely intervention before they develop into more serious problems requiring extensive repairs.
Summer Traffic Patterns and Their Impact on Ann Arbor Commercial Properties
Ann Arbor experiences distinctive summer traffic patterns that affect commercial properties throughout the city. The annual Art Fair in July brings over 500,000 visitors to downtown and campus areas, creating intense but short-term traffic pressure on nearby businesses. Summer festival weekends, including the Top of the Park series and various cultural celebrations, similarly concentrate visitor traffic in specific areas.
While the university population decreases during summer months, tourism increases substantially, changing both traffic volume and patterns. Properties along main corridors like State Street, Main Street, and Plymouth Road often see more out-of-town visitors unfamiliar with local parking patterns. This can create concentrated wear in entry areas and main thoroughfares as drivers navigate unfamiliar lots.
For businesses experiencing summer peaks, scheduling maintenance around these high-traffic periods becomes essential. Properties with summer lulls, particularly those serving the student population, can leverage these quieter periods for more extensive maintenance without disrupting regular business operations.
Essential Summer Maintenance Activities
Several maintenance procedures yield optimal results when performed during summer months. Crack sealing effectiveness improves significantly when applied during moderate temperatures between 70-90°F, making early summer ideal for this preventive treatment. The warmer asphalt allows sealant to flow properly into cracks and achieve maximum adhesion, creating more durable repairs than those performed in cooler weather.
Pothole repairs also benefit from summer conditions, as hot-mix asphalt maintains workable temperatures longer, allowing for proper compaction and bonding. Surface patching similarly achieves better results, with patches integrating more seamlessly into the existing pavement. Bart’s Asphalt uses summer-specific techniques for these repairs, ensuring they withstand the coming seasonal changes.
Summer also provides an excellent opportunity for clearing and maintaining drainage systems before fall leaves and debris create potential blockages. Proper drainage prevents water accumulation that would otherwise damage your asphalt, particularly during Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycles later in the year. Regular pavement cleaning removes harmful substances like automotive fluids, food spills, and other contaminants that can deteriorate asphalt surfaces when exposed to summer heat.
Sealcoating: Summer's Ideal Protective Treatment
Sealcoating represents one of the most valuable summer maintenance procedures for commercial asphalt. This protective treatment creates a barrier against UV rays, water penetration, and chemical spills while restoring your pavement’s rich black appearance. The optimal application conditions – temperatures consistently above 50°F with no rain forecast for 24-48 hours – make summer the perfect season for this essential protective measure.
The sealcoating process typically requires 24-48 hours before allowing traffic, though this curing time decreases during warm summer days. For Ann Arbor commercial properties, Bart’s Asphalt offers flexible scheduling options including weekend applications, overnight work, and sectional approaches that maintain business accessibility throughout the process. Their commercial-grade sealcoating materials provide 2-3 years of protection against Michigan’s varied weather conditions.
Beyond protection, sealcoating delivers significant aesthetic improvements that enhance your property’s professional appearance during the high-visibility summer months. For retail, restaurant, and service businesses, this renewed appearance creates positive impressions during peak visitor periods. The cost of sealcoating typically ranges from $0.15-$0.25 per square foot, representing one of the most cost-effective investments in extending your pavement’s lifespan.
Major Summer Renovation Projects
Summer provides ideal conditions for larger asphalt projects including resurfacing, reconstruction, and new installations. These significant undertakings benefit from the warm temperatures that allow proper material handling and curing. Material delivery logistics also improve during summer, with reliable scheduling and optimal asphalt production temperatures ensuring high-quality installation.
Complete resurfacing, which involves removing the existing surface layer and applying new asphalt, achieves best results during sustained warm periods. The stable temperatures allow proper compaction and curing, creating a durable surface that will withstand the coming seasons. Similarly, full-depth reconstruction projects benefit from summer’s extended daylight hours and favorable working conditions.
For Ann Arbor businesses considering major renovations, Bart’s Asphalt implements strategic planning approaches that minimize operational disruption. Their commercial focus includes phased project timelines, clear communication protocols, and flexible scheduling aligned with business needs. Larger summer projects often represent significant investments but deliver 15-20 years of service life when properly executed under optimal conditions.
Preparing Your Property for Summer Events
Ann Arbor’s signature summer events create both opportunities and challenges for commercial properties. Pre-event inspections and maintenance ensure your pavement presents well and functions safely during periods of increased visibility and traffic. This preparation should occur 3-4 weeks before major events, allowing time for necessary repairs and treatments to cure properly.
For properties near event venues, temporary solutions may be appropriate for addressing issues that cannot receive permanent repairs before the event. These might include interim patching, temporary striping enhancement, and targeted cleaning of high-visibility areas. While not replacing proper repairs, these measures ensure safety and appearance during critical high-traffic periods.
Post-event assessment becomes equally important, as concentrated traffic can accelerate damage or reveal previously undetected weaknesses. Bart’s Asphalt provides both pre-event preparation services and post-event evaluations that help commercial properties maintain their asphalt through Ann Arbor’s busy summer schedule. Their experience with local event patterns informs recommendations for properties in high-impact areas like Main Street, Liberty Street, and the State Street corridor.
Summer Maintenance Timeline for Ann Arbor Businesses
Early Summer Maintenance
Implementing an effective summer maintenance schedule requires strategic timing aligned with both weather conditions and business operations. Early summer (May-June) provides ideal conditions for crack sealing, patching, and repair work, allowing these treatments to cure fully before peak heat arrives. This period also serves well for assessment and planning larger projects.
Mid Summer Maintenance
Mid-summer (June-July) offers optimal conditions for major renovation projects that benefit from sustained warm temperatures and extended daylight hours. For many Ann Arbor businesses, scheduling significant work during the July 4th weekend or other strategic periods can minimize impact on regular operations while taking advantage of ideal asphalt installation weather.
Late Summer Maintenance
Late summer (August) provides perfect conditions for protective treatments like sealcoating before fall weather arrives. This timing ensures your pavement receives protection before winter while giving the treatments ample curing time during warm weather. Additionally, late summer maintenance prepares your property for the increased traffic that comes with the university’s fall semester.
How Bart's Asphalt Helps Ann Arbor Commercial Properties Maximize Summer
Bart’s Asphalt offers specialized summer maintenance programs designed specifically for Ann Arbor’s commercial properties. Their services incorporate summer-specific materials and application techniques optimized for Michigan’s warm weather conditions. From heat-resistant repair materials to UV-protective sealcoating formulations, their summer treatments address the specific challenges facing commercial asphalt during warmer months.
Their commercial focus includes flexible scheduling options that work around business operations, including overnight services, weekend work, and phased approaches for larger properties. This flexibility proves particularly valuable during summer when many businesses experience their peak customer periods. For properties with summer events or special considerations, Bart’s Asphalt provides customized maintenance timelines that ensure your pavement remains in optimal condition throughout the season.
The company’s deep understanding of Ann Arbor’s commercial landscape allows them to provide targeted recommendations based on your property’s specific use patterns, location, and condition. Their preventative approach focuses on addressing minor issues before they develop into major problems requiring extensive repairs or renovation, saving commercial property owners substantial costs over time.
Planning Your Summer Asphalt Strategy
Developing an effective summer maintenance strategy begins with a comprehensive assessment of your property’s current condition. Bart’s Asphalt provides complimentary commercial property evaluations that identify existing issues, potential concerns, and recommended treatments. This assessment serves as the foundation for creating a customized summer maintenance plan aligned with your property’s specific needs and your business operations.
Budget considerations naturally influence maintenance decisions, making cost-benefit analysis crucial when evaluating options. Preventative treatments like crack sealing and sealcoating typically deliver the highest return on investment, often extending pavement life by years for minimal cost. For properties requiring more extensive work, phased approaches can distribute costs across multiple budget periods while still addressing critical needs.
The distinction between maintenance and renovation becomes particularly important during summer planning. While maintenance preserves existing pavement, renovation addresses more fundamental issues or completely replaces failed sections. Summer provides ideal conditions for both approaches, but the decision between them should be based on your pavement’s underlying condition, budget constraints, and long-term property plans.
Wrapping Things Up
Summer provides Ann Arbor commercial property owners with a valuable window for optimal asphalt maintenance and renovation. By understanding the season’s unique challenges and opportunities, businesses can implement strategic maintenance programs that protect their pavement investment while enhancing their property’s appearance during high-visibility periods.
From essential crack sealing to complete resurfacing projects, summer’s warm temperatures and extended daylight create ideal conditions for a wide range of asphalt services. With proper planning and professional execution, these summer treatments extend pavement life, reduce long-term costs, and ensure your property presents a professional appearance to customers and visitors.
Contact Bart’s Asphalt today for a complimentary summer maintenance assessment of your Ann Arbor commercial property. Their team will evaluate your pavement’s current condition and provide customized recommendations for maximizing this summer’s maintenance opportunities. With their commercial expertise and understanding of Ann Arbor’s specific conditions, they help property owners protect their asphalt investment throughout the summer season and beyond.