Summer has finally arrived in the Twin Cities, MN area, which means it’s time to hit the trails! As the number of folks walking, running, hiking, and biking increases on the public or private asphalt trails and pathways you’re responsible for, have you taken the time to thoroughly inspected them to ensure they’re safe for everyone to use?   Now’s the perfect time to inspect and assess the condition , and repair asphalt trails and pathways and there are some important concerns to consider when evaluating them for safety. With frost and freezing no longer an issue, the warmth of summer is the ideal time to conduct repairs and maintenance to ensure everyone is truly safe on the trails.  

1. Assess Use: First and foremost, take the time to learn about who uses the trails and which are the most popular within your city, park, neighborhood association, golf course, or other trail area. This will determine which trails have experienced the most wear and also indicate which asphalt trail or pathway needs repairs.
2. Evaluate Setting: Look around the trailhead and notice the types of nearby vegetation. If your asphalt trail or pathway is covered by branches or molding leaves, or if vegetation is sprouting through cracks in the pavement, it’s time to contact a professional to perform routine asphalt maintenance and patching.
3. Check Safety: Besides routine wear and tear, asphalt trails and pathways may experience other types of damage. If spidery cracks are beginning to form, the asphalt will definitely benefit from a fresh sealcoating. Large cracks or holes caused by freezing or other factors may indicate total replaced is required.
4. Make Routines: If asphalt trails or pathways are evaluated, assessed, and fixed on a yearly basis, these repairs will be minor and routine. Rather than neglecting them over a long period of time which increases the cost and time to repair damage, catch small issues quickly and attend to them!

  As the summer season settles into the Twin Cities, MN area, make sure the asphalt trails and pathways on your public or private property are safe. To maintain and repair asphalt in the greater Metro area, give the industry leading professionals at Gopher State Sealcoat a call today!