Soil Instability Troubleshooting Tips for Paving Projects

When you begin a new paving project, you never know what the ground underneath has in store for you. Often times, people will come across highly unsteady soil conditions, bringing their work to a sudden halt. After all, you cannot properly pave over soil that is in poor or unstable condition. For paving, you want optimal ground reinforcement for best results. If your soil conditions are holding you back from making paving renovations or improvements, continue reading to learn some helpful trouble-shooting tips for treating and preventing soil instability.

Indianapolis Commercial Paving 317-549-1833
Indianapolis Commercial Paving 317-549-1833

What Causes Unstable Soil?

There are three common causes for soil instability: poor compaction, organics, and general composition. Let’s start with the presence of organics. When plants, dead insects, and living organisms within topsoil decay and break down, the soil becomes increasingly unstable. As for compaction, soil compaction is a top requirement for proper ground reinforcement.

However, soil can lose compaction as a result of a long list of potential facts, such as flooding, improper construction, poor water drainage, and more. When it comes to general composition, it plays a large role in how well soil can hold up against a topping of pavement. You see, soil maintains certain pH levels, and requires a healthy balance of air, water, and minerals. Without a proper balance, the soil will become exponentially unstable.

How to Stabilize Soil

To prevent soil instability, it is important to have your property inspected by professional Indianapolis paving contractors who understand the proper methods and techniques of laying pavement in unstable conditions. They can assess the current condition of your soil stability, and make modifications to improve it if you choose to move forward with work.

To treat soil instability, there are a few methods you can try:

➲ Use drainage tiles to rid excess water and moisture from your soil.
➲ Turn and till your soil routinely to promote drying.
➲ Excavate into the sub-grade and replace poor soil with good soil.
➲ Bridge the unstable soils with a suitable base material.
➲ Install a geo-grid (reinforcing grid).
➲ Change the chemical composition through chemical stabilization.
➲ Implement foamed asphalt injections.

Where to Get Trusted Commercial Paving Advice in Indianapolis

Call ACI Asphalt and Concrete at 317-549-1833 for commercial and industrial paving in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our licensed and qualified paving contractors provide several Indianapolis asphalt and concrete paving services, including pavement repair, sealcoating, road work, commercial paving, industrial paving, winter cold patching, and more. We are the industry veterans to trust for skilled craftsmanship and competitive prices! Request a free estimate, today.

Why Can Soil Become Unstable Below Old Asphalt?

Often times, paving companies or contractors will begin a paving project, only to find that the soil beneath the old pavement is too soft and not stable enough to take on new material. There are a few common causes for soil instability, all of which can interrupt a paving project. But fortunately, unstable soil can be resolved. It just takes a few extra steps. Continue reading to learn what causes soil instability, and how to fix it for purposes of paving.

Asphalt Concrete Paving 317-549-1833

Asphalt Concrete Paving 317-549-1833

Causes of Soil Instability

There are three main causes of soil instability: 1) organic presence, 2) lack of compaction, and 3) poor composition. Look below for a brief explanation of each issue.

Organic Presence – The excessive presence of organic matter, especially decomposing organics, can cause soil to soften, making it unstable. This includes insects, leaves, plant matter, and water.

Poor Compaction – When soil lacks compaction, it is weak and does not retain the ability to properly bear weight. Lack of compaction means soil is soft and unable to stabilize for the purpose of bearing weight, such as paving material.

Poor Composition – The make-up of soil has a major influence on its level of stability. When improper levels of essential minerals, namely air, water, and organic matter, are present in soil, it lacks the ability to be strong. Soil needs just the right amount of moisture, matter, and air to be stable for paving.

Paving Over Soil

You cannot add new asphalt paving material on top of an unstable foundation. And soft soil is unstable. Instead, new asphalt paving solutions need to be considered and chosen. Most of the time, soft soil can be resolved, and once they are, paving projects can continue as planned. Various methods for treating soil instability have proven effective, either on their own or in combination with each other. They include practices such as:

Using drainage tiles to remove excess moisture from soil.

Excavating the soft soil and replacing it with a proper base material.

Tilling and turning the soil to encourage drying or hardening.

Using soil separation fabrics to prevent soil from intermixing with base materials.

Using reinforcement grids (geo grids) to even out the weight of the load.

Tilling chemical stabilization into the soil to change the composition to make it stronger.

Applying foam asphalt injections to mimic the characteristics of pavement.

Indianapolis Paving Contractors

Asphalt Concrete Repair

Asphalt & Concrete Service 317-549-1833

Call ACI Asphalt and Concrete Inc. at 317-549-1833 for professional pavement repair and installation in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. Owner Lindsey Lewis, and his team of licensed paving contractors, provide a wide range of asphalt and concrete paving services for commercial, industrial, and municipal properties throughout the state. As highly-trained and experienced pavers, you can trust us for quality service at an honest price. Call 317-549-1833 to
request an estimate for Indianapolis
paving services
, today.