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Frequently Asked Questions
What is asphalt?
How is asphalt made?
How hot is asphalt? How long can it be used?
Is asphalt recyclable?
Are asphalt plants harmful to the environment?
Once asphalt is placed, how long does it take to "harden"? When can vehicles drive on it?
Does Banks Construction build houses?
I’m a commercial contractor – are your services available to municipalities only?
Q: How is asphalt made?
A:
On our materials yard there are feeder bins that store various materials; these materials are loaded on to a conveyor belt that takes them through a shaker screen to ensure that only the desired materials are used. Under the screen is another conveyor belt that deposits the material into a large round drum. This drum is essentially a large dryer for the aggregate material. Liquid asphalt is integrated with the aggregate and mixed to ensure that it is coated thoroughly. When this happens, the mixture is now known as Hot Mix Asphalt; it is loaded into storage silos until it is distributed into tri axle trucks to haul it to various job sites.
Q: How hot is asphalt? How long can it be used?
A:
The Hot Mix Asphalt that is produced in our plant ranges from 325 to 350 degrees. Depending on the temperature outside, it can stay within that range for over 2 hours and up to 3.
Q: Is asphalt recyclable?
A:
Absolutely, asphalt is 100% recyclable. Recently the words sustainability and green have become commonplace, however, those words have always applied to asphalt. Whether the mixture is still warm from the silo or it is taken up from an existing road, every bit of it is reusable. The process to take up asphalt from the roadway is called milling ? which is something that Banks Construction Company does as well.
Q: Are asphalt plants harmful to the environment?
A:
Emissions from asphalt plants, including greenhouse gases, are extremely low and well controlled. Since 1970, the industry has decreased total emissions by 97 percent while increasing production by 250 percent.
Q: Once asphalt is placed, how long does it take to "harden"? When can vehicles drive on it?
A:
It primarily depends on the weather. After asphalt is dumped from the truck to the paving machine, the mat (the flat layer of asphalt) is then compacted by rollers. Depending on the temperature of the air, ingredients in the mixture, and the specifications of the road, once the mat has cooled to about 150 degrees, it's drivable!
Q: Does Banks Construction build houses?
A:
Actually, Banks Construction heavy highway construction firm, offering a wide array of services to complete your project needs, such as clearing, grading, site work, asphalt sales and lay down, along with design build capabilities.
Q: I’m a commercial contractor – are your services available to municipalities only?
A:
Absolutely! We’re the leading site work contractor in Charleston and the surrounding areas; please visit the projects section of our website to learn more about our commercial/private projects we’ve recently completed.
