HISTORY OF ASPHALT PAVING
Believe it or not, the history of asphalt paving dates back to 625 B.C. in Babylon. During this early era, asphalt was primarily used for waterproofing structures. The Romans found natural asphalt valuable for sealing their baths, reservoirs, and aqueducts, aligning with the Greek meaning of asphaltos, meaning “secure” or aspahles, meaning “firm, immovable.” Later, others used it for caulking boats and ships.
ASPHALT FOR ROADS
The use of asphalt for road construction began in the early 1800s in Europe. According to the Virginia Asphalt Association, the first “true sheet of asphalt pavement” in the United States appeared in 1870 in Newark, New Jersey. Belgian-American Edmund de Smedt invented the first material for asphalt paving and filed a patent using natural bitumen from West Virginia. After an initial failure, de Smedt reformulated the material using high-quality bitumen from Pitch Lake in Trinidad, successfully paving 5th Avenue in New York and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.
THE GROWTH OF ASPHALT PAVING
As automobile use increased, so did the demand for higher quality paved roads and stronger landing strips for military aircraft. This demand led to improvements in the formulation and application of asphalt, including combining bitumen with aggregate and incorporating petroleum. The introduction of sealcoating and crack sealing further enhanced the longevity of roads, reducing the frequency of asphalt repairs.
ASPHALT TODAY
Today, roughly 70% of the world’s roads and highways are made with asphalt, making it the most recycled material on earth. Most asphalt companies offer an array not limited to just asphalt paving. M5 Paving provides sealcoating, line stripping, asphalt repair, and concrete pavement repair. If you’re in the greater Denver Metro area and you or someone you know has ever asked if there are any “reputable asphalt paving companies in my area?” then look no further. Contact an M5 team member for a hassle-free quote today.
