Getting a Handle on Parking Structure Management and Upkeep

Rose Paving / June 05, 2017

Keep your parking garage customers on level ground

Even if you’re not at ground level, you and your customers deserve to be standing (or driving) on level ground. Taking a proactive approach to parking deck maintenance can increase the longevity of your structure, keep your cash flow stable and your customers happy. So, when was the last time you had your parking garage evaluated?

Importance of Parking Structure Maintenance

While your concrete structure may seem invincible, wear and tear can erode the integrity of construction over time, leading to cracks, potholes, overall corrosion, and even more serious structural damage. As with all large-scale pavement and concrete assets, routine preventative maintenance is the key to longevity and structural integrity. This type of maintenance can help you avoid unnecessary damage and unforeseen costs, prolong the functionality of your garage over an extended period of time, and stretch those maintenance dollars in the long run.

What preventative measures should you be taking, exactly?

Continuous everyday use and everything that comes with it–water penetration, UV rays, oil and gas spills, and more–can quickly deteriorate a parking garage, putting you at risk for liability. While the protective measures of even one of the below maintenance services can be invaluable to your parking structure, we recommend a combination of strategies to maximize effectiveness and durability:

Basic Upkeep: Patching potholes, sealing unsightly cracks, striping, and other everyday maintenance
Waterproofing: Prevents water penetration and rebar erosion, helping to avoid major structural damage over time
Deck Coating: Protects against the hazards of continuous use, including freeze/thaw cycles and vehicular and pedestrian traffic
Traffic Coatings: Designed to protect areas directly exposed to the elements, traffic coatings provide protection from road salt, water penetration, UV rays, and other repercussions of exposure
Epoxy: Protects concrete surfaces from hot tires, gas and oil leaks, and general wear and tear, while also enhancing appearance
Moisture Barriers: A pre-construction preventative measure that places a thin plastic membrane below a concrete structure. Prevents water vapor from infiltrating the concrete slab

Sometimes parking structure management includes heftier structural projects or new builds. These large scale projects require more hands-on management than routine maintenance. Here are a few examples of some larger project undertakings for your parking structure upkeep:

Wall & Column Repairs: Cracks, spalling, chipping, and erosion on concrete surfaces indicate deterioration. We assess the level of damage to determine the method of repair required.
Post Tension Repairs:Post tension repairs are required to restore strength and integrity to the structure. Visible signs that a structure needs post tension repairs are: broken tendons that are coming out of the structure, excessive deflection, cracking that runs parallel to the post tension strands, and diagonal shear cracks in beams and joists.
Deck Repairs:Deck repairs are needed when the cast surface of the concrete is compromised. Typically, the damaged section is removed and concrete is reapplied into the void.

If it’s been 3 or more years since you’ve built or conducted a full maintenance overhaul on your parking structure, it’s been too long. With 48+ years of experience in the field, our team of experts will assist you in taking a proactive approach to maintaining your parking structure with services spanning everything from basic preventative measures like waterproofing and deck coating, to structural fixes on columns, joints, tension repairs, and more. Contact Rose Paving today for a free estimate on your project.