Bituminous Roadways provides professional mill-and-overlay services in the Twin Cities to refresh your pavement efficiently and affordably.

If you’re unsure when to schedule maintenance for your asphalt surface, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the signs that it’s time for an asphalt refresh.

What Is a Mill & Overlay?

A mill and overlay is a highly cost-effective asphalt maintenance process designed to refresh aging pavement that is still structurally sound.

Using a specialized milling machine, paving crews remove the top layer of existing pavement, typically 1.5 to 4 inches deep. Once the old, damaged surface layer is ground away, the milled area is overlaid with a brand-new layer of hot-mix asphalt. 

This process saves thousands of dollars in total reconstruction costs while restoring the beauty, durability, and safety of your surface.

4 Signs Your Pavement Needs a Mill & Overlay

Look for these four key indicators that your parking lot or roadway is a prime candidate for a mill and overlay.

1. Minimal Fatigue Cracking 

If the surface of your pavement is beginning to look like “alligator skin,” it is experiencing fatigue cracking. This is a sign of structural distress, often caused by overloading thin pavements with heavy vehicles or a weakened aggregate base. 

While a mill and overlay only replaces the surface layer and cannot fix deep foundational failures, performing this service when fatigue cracking is still minimal can seal the surface and prevent your pavement from deteriorating further into a costly base failure.

2. Block Cracking 

Block cracking appears as an interconnection of square-like patterned cracks across the pavement. These cracks develop naturally as asphalt ages and dries out. 

When widespread block cracking occurs alongside minimal fatigue cracking, it is a strong indication that the underlying base is structurally sound, making it the perfect time for a surface-level mill-and-overlay.

3. Surface Deterioration (Raveling) 

Surface deterioration, commonly known as raveling, is the progressive, slow loss of asphalt material from the pavement surface. As the petroleum-based binder wears away, it leaves behind exposed rocks and gives the pavement a very coarse, rough appearance. 

Raveling typically occurs across the entire pavement surface and is a clear indicator of the pavement's advanced age. A mill and overlay seamlessly grinds away this raveled surface and replace it with a smooth, tightly bound layer of new asphalt.

4. Drainage Issues 

Pavements with poor drainage will have noticeable areas where water pools or "ponds" after a rainstorm. You may notice flat areas with multiple smaller puddles, or a large depressed area where water collects because it cannot reach a catch basin.

By milling the surface at a precise angle, contractors can correct these sloped dips in the pavement, drastically improving water runoff and eliminating hazardous drainage issues.

Key Benefits of a Mill & Overlay

Ever since the milling machine was invented in 1979, the mill-and-overlay method has been a perfect solution for refreshing asphalt. 

Some of the key benefits of mill and overlay include:

• Cost Savings: Because the foundational base is left intact, the process takes significantly less time and uses fewer materials than a full reconstruction, making it a highly cost-effective solution.

• A New, Fresh Surface: Your drivers, tenants, and customers will immediately benefit from a smooth, newly paved surface for driving and parking.

• Drainage Corrections: Strategic milling can easily correct surface dips, eliminating pooling water and drainage problems.

• Added Strength: By removing the old, deteriorated, and brittle surface, the rest of your parking lot or road is protected from the elements, ensuring it lasts longer and is more durable.

BR Project Profiles: Expert Mill & Overlay Services

Throughout our more than 75-year history, Bituminous Roadways has transformed countless aging Minnesota roads and lots through the mill-and-overlay process. 

Two standout municipal projects:

• Hennepin County (2020): Bituminous Roadways was awarded a massive project spanning 13 different cities within Hennepin County. Throughout the process, our crews successfully overlaid 68 miles of roadway, executing 434,498 square yards of milling and placing 59,000 tons of hot-mix asphalt.

• City of Richfield Public Works Department (2017-2018) BR worked with the City of Richfield Public Works Department on three large paving projects. In 2017, we milled 308,000 square yards of roadways and placed 44,000 tons of asphalt. The following year, we milled another 265,000 square yards and placed 36,000 tons of asphalt, further securing BR as a go-to contractor for major asphalt refreshes.

Ready to Protect Your Asphalt Investment?

For more than 75 years, Bituminous Roadways, Inc. has provided the Twin Cities with expert paving solutions. Our professional pavement engineers are ready to assess your specific asphalt needs and help maximize your pavement's lifecycle.

Contact BR at 651-686-7001 to schedule a free pavement assessment or complete our online Request a Consultation form today!

Winter is a uniquely challenging time for asphalt pavement in Minnesota. While asphalt is flexible and stretchy during the warm spring, summer, and fall seasons, plummeting winter temperatures cause the pavement to become harder, stronger, but significantly more brittle.

However, the extreme cold itself isn't the biggest winter threat to your parking lots and roadways — the most severe seasonal asphalt damage is caused by the freeze-thaw cycle.

What Is a Freeze-Thaw Cycle?

A freeze-thaw cycle occurs when the ambient temperature fluctuates from above freezing (32°F) to below freezing, and then back above freezing again. 

In Minnesota, properties experience dozens of these cycles each winter, especially during transitional months when daytime snowmelt is followed by sub-zero nighttime temperatures.

How Freeze-Thaw Cycles Destroy Asphalt Surfaces

To understand why freeze-thaw cycles are so destructive, you have to look at how water behaves. 

When temperatures rise above freezing, highly mobile rainwater or snowmelt finds its way into microscopic hairline cracks in the pavement. When temperatures inevitably drop back below freezing, the trapped water turns to ice. 

Water expands by approximately 10% when frozen, exerting upwards of 25,000 psi of pressure against the surrounding asphalt. This acts like a hydraulic wedge, forcing the pavement apart from the inside out. 

When the ice melts again, the water flows deeper into the newly widened crack, restarting the destructive cycle.

Major Pavement Damage Caused by Freeze-Thaw

The freeze-thaw process in Minnesota often leads to significant asphalt pavement damage:

• Frost Heave: Water freezing in the base and subgrade layers forms large chunks called “ice lenses." The immense pressure of these ice lenses pushes asphalt pavement upward, physically deforming the surface.

• Potholes: As the weather warms and the ice lenses melt, they leave behind large, empty voids in the weakened base layer. When heavy vehicles drive over these unsupported voids, the asphalt may collapse, quickly forming a pothole.

• Alligator Cracking: Rapid snowmelt can saturate the gravel base under your asphalt, turning the ground mushy. As vehicles drive over the unsupported, flexible asphalt, it snaps into interconnecting patterns that resemble reptilian scales. Alligator cracking cannot be fixed with a simple crack filler; it requires a full-depth patch to restore the foundational base.

• Contraction & Shrinkage: The bitter cold makes asphalt brittle, causing the pavement to physically shrink and pull apart under the added stress.

3 Ways to Protect Asphalt Pavement From Freeze-Thaw Damage

The best way to stop the freeze-thaw cycle is to prevent water from penetrating your asphalt in the first place.

1. Proactive Cracksealing: Having a professional contractor crackseal your pavement every 1 to 3 years is the most effective way to keep surface water from reaching the vulnerable base layers.

2. Thoughtful Drainage Design: Properly sloped pavement and underlying drainage tile piping quickly direct water off the surface and away from the subgrade, eliminating the moisture needed for frost heave.

3. Mill + Overlay: If freeze-thaw cycles have already caused widespread surface damage, a mill and overlay is an excellent rehabilitation option to restore the pavement's integrity.

Planning Your Spring Asphalt Repairs in Minnesota

• Please note: Bituminous Roadways cannot operate or produce new asphalt during the winter. 

Local asphalt plants do not open until the Spring, and Minnesota enforces seasonal road weight restrictions that prevent heavy commercial paving trucks from driving on the roads. Therefore, the best course of action during the winter is to document the areas of your property that are holding water, heaving, or cracking. 

By noting these high-risk zones now, you can schedule a consultation with our Minnesota asphalt pros, so we can repair your lot first thing in the Spring once restrictions are lifted.

Monitoring Winter Asphalt Damage: Related Reading

If you want to protect your retail business, medical center, or apartment complex, it is critical to keep an eye on your pavement throughout the winter. When you spot a sign of damage, schedule asphalt repair in the spring as soon as possible.

Check for Standing Water

As detailed in a recent blog, Winter Damage Check: Asphalt vs. Rain, Snowmelt, & Standing Water, keeping an eye out for puddles that sit for more than 24 hours can help you identify areas with base failures or poor drainage before they expand into major springtime hazards.

Understand Winter's Impact

To learn more about how cold weather stresses your pavement and why high-quality asphalt installation matters, read What Winter Does to Your Asphalt & How Good Paving Decisions Pay Off in Spring.

Frequently Asked Questions: Winter Asphalt Damage

Don’t fall for any asphalt misconceptions! Reach out to our local experts for transparent answers to common questions about maintaining asphalt surfaces in Minnesota.

How can I prepare my asphalt surface for winter? 

The best time to prepare asphalt for winter is in the fall. You should fill large cracks, repair existing potholes, and ensure the edges of your asphalt are intact. 

Additionally, designate snow storage areas that are off the asphalt and at lower elevations so melting snow doesn't constantly run across your pavement.

Can asphalt withstand harsh weather conditions? 

Yes, when properly maintained and prepared for winter, asphalt handles harsh weather and freeze-thaw cycles better than rigid surface materials like concrete. Its inherent flexibility allows it to shift with the temperature-induced expansions and contractions, reducing the severity of cracking and heaving.

When should I resurface my asphalt surface? 

You should consider asphalt resurfacing (such as a mill and overlay) if your asphalt shows widespread signs of raveling, fading, massive interconnecting cracks, structural potholes, or significant standing water.

Contact Bituminous Roadways for Asphalt Services in the Twin Cities

With more than 75 years of experience, Bituminous Roadways, Inc. is the Twin Cities’ most trusted asphalt pavement contractor. Call us today at 651-686-7001 to request a free consultation and get your spring pavement projects on the schedule!