Unique Paving Materials is proud to be an innovator when it comes to developing the very best asphalt repair products for roads, driveways and other applications. But did you know that humans have been using asphalt around the world for thousands of years?
Many people don’t realize this, but asphalt actually is a naturally-occurring substance. It can be found in rock asphalt and asphalt lakes in various places across the globe. Believe it or not, the first reference to asphalt being used to construct roads can be found on a tablet made about 625 B.C. in Babylon! The ancient Greeks used asphalt, to, although not to pave their roads. They utilized it to make sure that their aqueducts, reservoirs and baths were watertight and sealed properly.
Europeans began discovering natural occurrences of asphalt throughout the Americas in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, and utilized them for many repair projects that included the caulking and sealing ships. We didn’t start using asphalt on roads and sidewalks in the United States, however, until the late 1800’s. The French paved a highway in their country with asphalt in 1852, but first road ever to be paved in our country was much later in Newark, New Jersey.
In spite of the fact that asphalt has been used by people for thousands of years, we’re still coming up with amazing advances in the application and durability of asphalt-based products. Thanks to products like our UPM Cold Mix, it’s now easier and more affordable than ever before to perform long-lasting repairs potholes and asphalt cracks.
Unique Paving Materials is proud to be part of a tradition of asphalt road paving that goes back thousands of years in human history. We’re excited to continue that tradition and develop even more innovative products that help keep our roadways in good repair for everyone who uses them.
