Asphalt pavement’s worst enemy is water leaking into its base. Asphalt can turn dry and fragile as untreated areas oxidize. As the top layer wears away, small cracks occur, which can increase in size if not treated.
Access of water on the pavement’s base causes materials to shift and cracking to continue to expand. This, in turn, makes the surface to depress and become unstable. At this point, it’s necessary to replace the existing asphalt. For this reason, periodic maintenance is so necessary on asphalt pavement.