Parking Lot Paving in Biloxi, MS

Parking lot paving is a bigger job than a driveway in every way. A lot carries more cars, heavier trucks and constant turning, and it covers so much ground that drainage becomes the main design problem. In Biloxi, lots serve shops, restaurants, offices, churches, apartment complexes and businesses along US 90 and the interstates, and most of them sit on flat ground that gets close to 67 inches of rain a year. A lot that is built thin or graded poorly shows it fast: ruts at the dumpster pad, potholes where trucks turn and ponds across the stalls after every storm.

Building for trucks, not just cars

The pavement section in a lot has to match what drives on it. Garbage trucks, box trucks and buses put far more stress on asphalt than passenger cars, and they do it in the same few places: the entrance, the main drive lane, the dumpster enclosure and the loading area. HomeGuide notes commercial or heavy-use pavement typically calls for 4 inches of asphalt or more. A common approach is a heavier section where trucks travel and a lighter one in the stalls. If an engineer has drawn plans for your site, we pave to them. If not, our quote names the section for each part of the lot and the reason for it.

Drainage on flat ground

A parking lot sheds a lot of water, and on the coast there is not much fall to work with. The surface has to slope toward inlets, curb openings or the edges without leaving ponds in the stalls or sheets of water across walkways. On new lots and rebuilds, we check slopes and inlet heights and correct low areas. Filling or regrading a site in Biloxi falls under the city's flood damage prevention rules, and nearly half the city is in a FEMA flood zone, so larger projects should confirm permit and drainage requirements with the city early.

Choices for a lot that is already worn

• Patch, crack seal and sealcoat: right for a lot that is mostly firm with a handful of failed spots.
• Mill and repave the top layer: the worn surface is ground off and new asphalt is laid at the same height, so curbs and inlets still work.
• Rebuild the base: for lots where large areas have gone soft, often near low spots that have held water for years.
• Add on: new stalls or a new drive lane joined to the old pavement with a cut, tacked joint so the seam stays tight.

Working around your customers

A closed lot means lost business, so we split the job into phases. One entrance stays usable, work on busy sections can move to early mornings or slow days, and you get a day-by-day plan showing which areas will be blocked off and when they reopen.

Entrances on state routes

A lot entrance on US 90, MS 15 or MS 67 connects to a state highway. MDOT requires a permit for that connection on form MND-001, drainage pipes have to meet its culvert criteria, and the permit is void if the work is not finished within a year of approval. We plan for that before work starts.

Lines and accessible parking

A new or repaved lot gets new lines, and federal guidance says that restriping must bring accessible parking up to the 2010 ADA Standards. As one example, a lot with 26 to 50 total spaces needs two accessible spaces, and at least one has to be van-accessible. Accessible stalls, access aisles and signs are part of the layout we paint.