Failing to perform routine road resurfacing not only results in poor driving conditions, it also results in higher long-term costs. As road surfaces deteriorate, cracks form which allow water to enter the sub-base of the roadway. When water erodes and weakens the compacted soils that form the road sub-base, complete reconstruction of the road is usually required at a cost of up to 4 times more than routine resurfacing. In this regard, road asphalt is similar to paint on a wood surface. It’s much less expensive to periodically repaint a house than to replace wood siding that has rotted from water damage.

It costs about $225,000 to resurface one mile of roadway. Conversely, it costs over $1 million to reconstruct one mile of roadway that has experienced pavement sub-base failure.