Asphalt patching in Edmonton, full depth where needed
A patch replaces a section of surface and the ground under it. It is the right answer when an area has failed and the rest of the surface has not, and the wrong one when the whole thing is going.
The two kinds of Edmonton asphalt patch, and when each applies
A surface patch takes off the top layer and replaces it. It is quick, it is cheaper, and it only works where the problem is genuinely confined to the wearing course. That is rarer than it is sold as being.
A full-depth patch cuts through everything and rebuilds the granular layer underneath before any new asphalt goes in. It is the one that lasts, because it addresses the reason the section failed rather than the evidence of it.
Choosing between them is a question about what is under the damage, not about budget. If the base has washed out a surface patch sinks within a year. Where patching has already been tried twice in one place, replacement is cheaper than a third, and the crossover is worth knowing.
Full-depth patch
How patching runs
How your Edmonton full-depth patch is built
Mark a rectangle past the damage
The patch is squared off beyond the visible failure, because the weakened zone always extends further than the cracking that makes it obvious.
Saw-cut and break out
Straight cuts give vertical faces for the new asphalt to compact against, and the material inside is removed to full depth rather than scraped.
Rebuild and compact the base
Soft or saturated granular is taken out and replaced in layers, each one compacted before the next, so the patch sits on something as dense as its surroundings.
Fill in lifts and seal the perimeter
Asphalt is placed in layers rather than one deep pour, compacted level, and all four joints are sealed so water cannot enter at the seam.
Where patches fail
Why some Edmonton patches sink and others do not
The three failure modes are always the same. The patch was not taken to full depth, the base was not replaced, or the perimeter was never sealed. Each of them is invisible once the work is finished and obvious a year later.
Shape matters more than people expect. An irregular patch has long edges relative to its area, and every edge is a seam. A rectangle squared to the direction of traffic has the fewest joints taking load.
Compaction is the quiet one. Asphalt dropped in to full depth and rolled once is dense at the top and loose below, so the patch settles under traffic and leaves a dish. That dip then collects water, and water is where the next failure starts. Getting the fall right prevents it.
Not full depthFailure one
Base leftFailure two
Open seamFailure three
Related repairs
Repairs near patching in Edmonton
Patching sits between small repairs and replacement.
Larger than the damage. The weakened area always runs past the visible cracking, so cutting tight to what you can see leaves unsupported asphalt around the new work.
Straight cuts give clean vertical faces to compact against, and a rectangle squared to the traffic has fewer joints under load than an irregular shape of the same area.
Yes. New asphalt is darker and the seams are visible. A sealcoat over the whole surface once the patch has cured is what brings everything to the same colour.
There is no fixed number, but once patches cover a meaningful share of the surface or the same area has failed twice, replacement usually costs less over the next ten years.
Yes, and that is normal. Each patch is cut, filled and reopened, so a lot can carry on operating with cones around the areas being worked on.
Once the hot mix has been compacted and cooled, usually within an hour or two. Heavier vehicles are kept off a little longer on larger patches, because concentrated load on warm asphalt leaves a mark that stays.
We will mark what actually needs cutting out, say whether full depth is necessary, and tell you if the surface has reached the point where patching stops paying.
