Road Construction Contractors Key Terms

Understand the key terms related to the road construction contractors

By Howard Robertson

Licensed road construction contractors are the people who undertake the job of laying the road and the work related to it. These contractors help in proper planning, surveying, designing and landscaping of roads and the surroundings keeping in mind the environmental regulations.

If you want to pursue a career as a road construction contractor, you will need to understand various technical terms related to the laying of the roads. In this guide, we will cover some key terms related to road construction contractors, such as the contractor’s license, insurance, asphalt overlays, culvert and potholes repairs.

Contractor's license

Whether it's a small road or a freeway, it's mandatory for a road contractor to posses a license for road construction projects. All 50 states have different conditions for the qualifications for obtaining a road construction contractor license.
Try: You can find more about different licensing classifications at the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Contractor’s License also provides information about the requirements of a contractor’s license.

Insurance

A contractor must have insurance coverage for the construction work that is to be completed. The requirements for the insurance vary from state to state and premium for this insurance depends upon the liability coverage.
Try: Construction Insurance Solutions provides information about general construction work of a contractor and the types of insurance coverage that are provided.

Asphalt overlays

Asphalt overlays are the layers of the asphalt concrete that are placed on the roadway with a paver. Overlays can have a thickness from 1 inch to 6 inches.
Try: For information about asphalt overlays, read through the glossary of road construction terms on the Tompkins County Highway Divison Web site.

Culverts

A culvert is a pipe or tube structure that allows water to pass from one side to the other under a railway track, road or bridge. Culverts are available with many types of materials, shapes and sizes.
Try: You can find detailed information about the culvert designing and water control on the LMNO Engineering, Research, and Software, Ltd. Web site. Oxford Plastics Inc. is another source of information about culverts and the benefits of using polyethylene for culvert pipes.

Potholes repairs

Potholes repairs is part of the road construction and repair job. Various methods have been cited for the pothole repairs. Cold mix is used to fill the potholes temporarily.
Try: The Better Roads Magazine provides an informative article that discusses problems due to potholes and repair methods.

NIOSH research on health hazards by the asphalt fumes

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) is an organization that recommends the safety of workers. It also has many documents that relate to the conditions in asphalt-related work.
Try: NIOSH provides guidelines for paving hot mix asphalt (HMA).

Corrugations

Corrugations are the deformities in asphalt paving across the pavement surface. This occurs due to the improper mix of asphalt during the laying of the overlays.
Try: To learn more about the corrugations you can go through the contractor’s glossary at Contractor School Online.