If there are lots of smaller cracks, what should be considered?

• A. Milling the surface
• B. An asphalt surface treatment
• C. Full depth patch
• D. Seal the larger cracks

Answer: (B)

When cracks are many but still small, a preventive surface treatment is the most appropriate approach. An asphalt surface treatment uses a binder and aggregate to create a new, protective wearing surface that seals microcracks and helps prevent water from penetrating the pavement. This extends the life of the pavement, improves skid resistance, and is more cost-effective and quicker to apply than deeper repairs. Milling would remove the existing surface layer and isn’t specifically aimed at sealing widespread tiny cracks. A full-depth patch is designed for structural failures or potholes, not general surface cracking, and would be overkill for a pavement with many small cracks. Sealing only the larger cracks would ignore the multitude of smaller cracks that can continue to propagate and allow water infiltration.