In sub grade condition after years of deferred maintenance and project defects from the original construction, the Torrance Memorial Medical Center staff parking lot had become unsafe for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Prior to adding this parking lot, a new building was constructed on the premises for use in the medical center. During construction, a large volume of material needed to be excavated to provide space for the building’s foundation as well as a two-floor basement. The excavated materials were improperly disposed of across the street in a vacant lot.

Years later, this lot would eventually become the space for the staff parking area.

When the parking lot was put in, asphalt was laid down over top of the excavated material. Without proper compaction, cracks began to appear within just two years.

Cracked asphalt, if not addressed promptly, will quickly worsen. In this case, small hairline cracks turned into large cracks, many of which were up to 2 inches wide and 3 inches deep – more than enough to damage tires or create a tripping hazard for pedestrians. Larger untreated cracks became potholes.

As the staff parking lot, minimal disruption was crucial for the medical center to continue providing care for its patients. In order to accomplish this, the project was completed in sections of approximately 60,000 square feet each over 5 consecutive weekends.

Steps:

• Day 1: Fill large cracks. The Macadam Construction team used hot rubberized crack fill material to fill in larger cracks in the pavement.
• Day 2: Fill small cracks and seal surface. Then, two coats of a rubberized 2% latex integrated sealcoating material were applied over the entire area to fill in remaining minor cracks and to create a smooth, even surface.
• Day 3: Curing. The fresh sealcoating then requires 24 hours to fully dry and cure.
• Day 4: Re-striping. Once the sealcoat is fully cured, striping and other markings were re-applied.

After this 4-day process, the lot was ready to resume regular use.