Concrete parking lot building in Springfield IL - a lot built thick enough to last
Need parking for tenants, customers or staff? We build a concrete lot thick enough for the traffic, laid out with room for accessible spaces.
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What does it take to build a concrete parking lot in Springfield?
Concrete parking lot building in Springfield, IL means preparing the ground, laying out the spaces and pouring pavement thick enough for the cars and delivery trucks that will use it. At Allied Springfield Concrete Construction, we do this work for property owners across Springfield and the cities around it.
Most people who call about a lot are building parking for tenants, customers or staff, or replacing an old lot that has cracked, sunk or started holding water. The price moves mostly with the size of the lot, the thickness it needs for the vehicles that will use it, how much digging and base work the ground needs and whether old pavement has to come out first, which we can handle with concrete cutting. The schedule turns on the city's permit review, the weather and the curing time before traffic can go on it. When a budget gets tight, the base is usually the first thing people want to trim because nobody sees it once the lot is paved, and it's the one place I'd ask you not to cut. I'll give you your own figure once I've looked at the site.
How our concrete parking lot building works
I start by walking the site to see where the water runs now and where it needs to go, because a lot that holds water at a low corner breaks down there first. We then lay out the parking, the drive lanes and the accessible spaces with their aisles, so the lot works on paper before anything is poured. Our crew digs out to the subgrade, the ground the pavement sits on, and packs a solid base rather than raking loose dirt level, since that is what keeps a lot flat for years. We bid and pour the thickness your traffic calls for instead of shaving it to come in cheaper, because a thin lot wears out early. We pour when the heat of the day won't weaken the top, give it a broom finish so tires and shoes have something to grip, and cut control joints, shallow lines that decide where the slab cracks instead of leaving it to chance. Then we let it cure, the wait that lets the concrete reach its strength before anyone drives on it.
A lot often comes with other concrete around it. Light poles, sign bases and enclosure walls sit on concrete footings, and we set those before the pour so the pavement meets them cleanly. If the building beside the lot has settled and its doorways no longer line up with the new grade, foundation raising can bring it back up before we pave to it.
Concrete parking lot building in Springfield and what the city asks
In Springfield, parking lot work goes through the city's Building & Zoning Department, which handles the plan review and issues the permit. We check what the office asks for at your address and take care of the permit paperwork for our work, and if the city needs something from you as the owner, I'll let you know early so it doesn't hold up the pour. One point is worth knowing before you settle on a site, because the city states plainly that a permit doesn't vouch for the land. Checking soil compaction and whether the ground could sink over old mine workings falls to the owner and applicant, so if there's any question about either, it's best looked into before the layout is final.
On older lots around Springfield, what we see most is pavement that sank where the base was never packed and low corners that hold water until winter breaks them up. We dig out, pack the base and set the slope so water leaves the lot, and we see the same problems on jobs in Chatham and Decatur.
Concrete lots and site paving
Ask for an on-site estimate for your parking lot
We reply to every message within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. It helps if you tell us the site address, who will park there and whether the entrance meets a public street.
(217) 210-0810Questions about parking lots in Springfield
How much does a concrete parking lot cost in Springfield, IL?
The cost of a concrete parking lot depends mostly on its size, the thickness the traffic calls for and how much work the ground needs before we pour. Removing old pavement, building a new street entrance or adding footings for light poles also adds to the price. I write the estimate after seeing your site, so you know exactly what you're paying for before we start.
How long does a concrete parking lot last?
Concrete parking lots typically last 30 years or more, which is worth weighing when you compare paving choices for a new lot. They also tend to need little upkeep over those years when they're designed and built for how a parking lot is used rather than like a street. A lot poured thinner than it should be can wear out sooner, so it's fair to compare the thickness in each bid you get.
How does concrete hold up to freezing in Illinois winters?
Concrete holds up to freeze and thaw well when it's air-entrained, made with many small, closely spaced air bubbles that protect it from freeze damage for many years. Lots here go through plenty of freezing and thawing, so you can ask for properly air-entrained concrete in every bid you compare. I'm glad to go over the mix with you when I write ours.
Does my parking lot need accessible spaces in Illinois?
Yes, in Illinois any facility that offers parking for employees or visitors has to provide accessible parking for people with disabilities. Each accessible space needs a vehicle space and a diagonally striped access aisle beside it, so the layout has to leave room for both. We plan that room in from the start, as described above.
What causes the top of a concrete parking lot to flake off?
Flaking, which builders call scaling, usually comes from too little entrained air, a surface worked too hard while finishing, poor curing, a weak spec, traffic or weather too early, or deicing salt. New concrete, which builders call green, is especially easy to damage with salt, so plan the first winter's salt use with us before the weather turns. Asking any contractor how they finish and cure the surface covers several of these causes at once.
How do I get a new entrance from my lot onto a Springfield street?
A new entrance goes through Springfield's right-of-way application, which covers curb cuts and driveways and, for a commercial driveway, asks for your Building & Zoning permit number. That means the building permit has to be in hand first. Any digging in the public right-of-way also needs a separate excavation permit from the city's Office of Public Works before work starts, so plan on two city offices if your entrance meets a public street.
Plan your Springfield parking lot with us
Calling (217) 210-0810 before your site plans are final gives us room to settle the layout, the entrance and the city steps together instead of reworking them later.