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.