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Heavy-Duty Surfacing
Surfaces designed for reach-stackers, articulated lorries, and continuous heavy loads. Fixed-fee maintenance options. Phased delivery keeps operations running.
Specialist heavy-duty surfacing for warehouses, logistics hubs, and industrial operations that can't afford downtime
Get surfaces engineered for your actual operating environment
You need pavement that handles slow-speed turning from reach-stackers, point loads from container stacks, fuel spillage from HGV parking, and drainage that actually works when your yard’s dead flat.
We deliver this across the South West, South Wales, and the Thames Valley. Premium specifications – polymer-modified binders, stone mastic asphalt, cement-bound foundations. Designed for 15-20 years, not 5-7.
What we can deliver for your site...
Why industrial surfaces fail, and what it costs you
The real-world impact...
There's a better specification...
Surfaces engineered to last, not just laid. Premium specifications designed for your operating environment
15-20 year lifespan vs 5-7 standard:
Polymer-modified binders, stone mastic asphalt, cement-bound foundations. Extends service life 40-60% through proper engineering, not guesswork.
Fuel-resistant technology where it matters:
Advanced binders that don't dissolve under diesel spillage. Loading bays and HGV parking protected from contamination failure that typically kills surfaces in 3-5 years.
60-80% reduction in emergency repairs:
Premium specs eliminate most reactive patching. Plan a surface renewal at year 12-14 and push life past 20 years.
£2M+ whole-life cost savings:
Yeah, higher upfront (£70/m² vs £40/m²), but lower annual cost when you work it out (£4,667/m²/year vs £5,714/m²/year). ROI through not haemorrhaging money on emergency call-outs.
Operational continuity during installation:
Phased night-shift delivery as standard. Lane-by-lane resurfacing keeping daytime operations running. 24/7 logistics centres stay open throughout 4-6 week programmes.
Fixed-fee maintenance options available:
Predictable costs. Planned surface dressing, sealcoating, selective repairs. No budget surprises when your finance director's already twitchy.
Why warehouse operators and logistics managers choose Highways Plus
You’re managing tight operational windows and fixed asset budgets. You need someone who gets that resurfacing isn’t about laying materials – it’s about keeping operations running whilst protecting long-term value.
What sets us apart
We've engineered yards handling 200+ HGV movements daily:
Twenty-five years doing this. Fuel-resistant zones? Done hundreds. 44-tonne reach-stackers? No problem. Phased delivery keeping 24/7 operations running? It’s what we do.
Operational continuity is non-negotiable:
Night-shift phased delivery by default. Lane-by-lane installation so your day shift carries on as normal. Rapid asphalt tech means 24-48 hour traffic reopening when you need it.
Whole-life cost transparency upfront:
Fixed quotes showing capex, projected maintenance, expected lifespan. You can model ROI properly and give your finance director actual numbers, not vague estimates.
Premium specifications, not just thicker asphalt:
Polymer-modified binders, stone mastic asphalt, high-modulus binder courses, cement-bound foundations. Materials engineered for your loads, not borrowed from standard road specs.
Premium specifications, not just thicker asphalt:
ULTISHIELD and ULTIPHALT HD tech. Loading bays, HGV parking, maintenance zones protected from the contamination failure that kills most yards early.
Emergency response when you need it:
4-hour mobilisation for critical failures. Hot asphalt repairs within 24-48 hours. We’ll stabilise the immediate problem whilst planning the permanent fix.
clear, phased process that keeps your operations running
Heavy-duty resurfacing needs site-specific engineering, not generic specs off a shelf. Load analysis, drainage design, phased delivery planning.
What you get...
Most projects run through phased night-shift delivery – zone by zone whilst your day shift keeps operating.
Typical timelines: 4-6 weeks for phased delivery on 24/7 ops, 3-4 weeks if you can do full-area works with a planned closure, 8-11 weeks for complete yard reconstruction with groundworks.
Site assessment and load analysis:
Laser survey, CBR ground testing, watching how your operations actually work, vehicle types and weights. You get engineering specs designed for your actual loads, not someone's best guess.
Specification and fixed pricing:
Material specs (binder types, aggregate grades, layer depths), phased delivery plan, traffic management strategy. Everything transparent before we break ground.
Pre-works preparation:
Trial pits checking what's actually there, utility mapping, temporary drainage, traffic management setup. Your site's protected throughout.
Phased installation:
Strip the existing surface, lay foundation, base course, binder course, surface course. Night shifts if you're 24/7, or accelerated works during your planned shutdowns - whatever keeps you operational.
Quality assurance and handover:
Core sampling, density testing, levels verification, as-built drawings. Full documentation proving we've built what we specified.
Heavy-duty surfacing CASE STUDY
Distribution centre facility, South Wales
The Challenge:
- 42,000m² warehouse yard handling 180+ HGV movements every day. Eight-year-old asphalt showing serious deterioration - potholes all over the turning areas, fuel contamination wrecking the loading bays, standing water from drainage that just didn't work.
- Emergency repairs were costing £85K a year. Operations getting disrupted monthly by lane closures. Finance director wanted a capital fix to stop the bleeding.
- Standard contractor quoted £1.68M for 40mm overlay with 200mm subbase replacement. Seven to 10 years projected life, similar maintenance costs carrying on.
Our Solution:
- Premium heavy-duty spec - 50mm polymer-modified surface, 80mm high-modulus binder course, 250mm cement-bound foundation. Fuel-resistant binders in the loading bay zones where contamination was worst.
- Six-week phased night-shift delivery. Split the yard into five zones, sequenced to keep 80% capacity available during the day. Traffic management so HGV movements could carry on.
- Proper drainage too - channel drains in fuel-contaminated areas, crossfall corrections to stop the ponding.
- Fixed-fee package came in at £2.28M. 36% premium over the standard spec, but engineered for 15-20 years versus 7-10.
The Outcome:
- 15-20 year projected lifespan vs 7-10, extending asset life 60%+
- Emergency repairs eliminated; maintenance costs reduced 85% (£85K to £12K annually)
- Zero operational disruption during 6-week installation; 24/7 operations maintained
- Whole-life cost £152K annually vs £240K with standard spec + maintenance, saving £1.3M over 15 years
Proven delivery of heavy-duty surfacing across diverse sectors
Whether it’s warehouses, distribution centres, agricultural yards, or port infrastructure, you need surfaces engineered for your specific loads and how you actually operate.
Sectors that rely on us:
Logistics and distribution:
Warehouse ops managing 24/7 HGV traffic, reach-stacker operations, container storage. Phased delivery so operations carry on whilst we install 15+ year specs.
Industrial estates and business parks:
Multi-tenant facilities needing infrastructure that lasts. Premium specs protecting asset value and keeping tenants happy.
Agriculture and farming:
Machinery yards handling seasonal loading, livestock ops, grain storage. Weather-resistant surfaces surviving heavy equipment and harsh conditions.
Ports and intermodal terminals:
Container handling, reach-stacker operations, HGV marshalling. Specs proven at Avonmouth and South Wales terminals.
Manufacturing and processing:
Factory yard haulage resurfacing for raw material deliveries, finished goods dispatch, heavy plant movement. Fuel-resistant zones protecting the high-traffic areas from HGV operations.
Retail and hospitality:
Delivery yards for supermarkets, hotels, leisure parks with frequent HGV traffic. Aesthetic but durable – balancing looks with performance.
Your Heavy-duty surfacing questions, answered...
How long does heavy-duty surfacing last compared to standard asphalt?
You’re looking at 15-20 years with proper heavy-duty specs, compared to 5-7 for standard asphalt under heavy traffic. The difference is in the engineering – polymer-modified binders, stone mastic asphalt, proper foundation depth. Do a surface renewal around year 12-14 and you’ll push it past 20 years. The real payback? You’re not haemorrhaging money on emergency repairs every few months.
What makes fuel-resistant surfacing different?
The binder. Standard asphalt uses bitumen that softens when diesel or hydraulic fluid sits on it. You’ll see failures in loading bays within 3-5 years – the surface literally dissolves. Fuel-resistant tech (ULTISHIELD, ULTIPHALT HD) uses modified polymers that don’t react to contamination. Your loading bays and HGV parking last 12+ years instead of needing patches every other year. Costs about £3-5/m² extra, but you’re not replacing those zones twice while the rest of your yard’s still good.
Can you resurface without closing our operations?
Yeah, that’s the whole point. We do this for 24/7 distribution centres all the time. Night shifts – we resurface zone by zone, typically 10pm to 6am, so your daytime operations carry on as normal. You’ll have about 70-80% of your yard available during the day. Most jobs run 4-6 weeks like this with zero operational impact. If you’ve got planned downtime coming up (Christmas closure, off-season), we can do accelerated works and finish in 2-3 weeks. But we never assume you can just shut down – your throughput matters more than our convenience.
What's the cost difference between standard and premium heavy-duty specs?
Here’s the honest breakdown. Standard asphalt runs £40-50/m² but only lasts 5-7 years under heavy traffic. That’s about £5,700-7,100 per square metre per year when you work it out. Premium heavy-duty is £70-80/m² upfront, but you’re getting 15-20 years from it – so that’s closer to £3,500-5,300 per square metre per year. Higher price tag, lower annual cost. On a typical 20,000m² yard, that’s saving you north of £2M over 15 years when you factor in avoided maintenance and emergency repairs. Finance directors love it once they see the numbers.
How quickly can you mobilise for emergency repairs?
We’re on site within 4 hours for critical failures. If you’ve got a pothole that’s stopping operations, we’ll get a cold-lay patch down same day – it’ll hold for 3-6 months while you plan properly. Need something more permanent? Hot asphalt repairs within 24-48 hours, which’ll last 1-3 years. But here’s the thing – emergency repairs cost £50-100/m² versus £60-80/m² for planned resurfacing. Do two or three emergency fixes and you’ve spent what the permanent solution would’ve cost. We’ll always stabilise the immediate problem, but we’ll also tell you when it’s time to stop patching and actually fix it.
What drainage solutions work for flat yards?
Flat yards are a nightmare for drainage, but there’s ways round it. First, we create a crossfall – just 1-2% gradient is enough to stop water sitting there. Not noticeable to vehicles but makes a huge difference. For contaminated zones, we put in channel drains that direct fuel spillage away from the surface before it can do damage. If you need environmental compliance, we can integrate SuDS – permeable sealers, geocell systems, that kind of thing. Underground attenuation tanks if you’re dealing with high-volume runoff. Get the drainage right and you’ll add 20-30% to your pavement life just by keeping water out.
Do you handle phased delivery maintaining operations?
It’s pretty much all we do on active sites. Here’s how it typically works – we split your yard into 4-6 zones. Each zone takes 5-7 days to complete. We work nights (10pm-6am) so your day shift carries on as normal. If you need to access a section we’re working on, we lay temporary road matting or geocell to create a bypass route. We map out the traffic flow before we start so you can see exactly what’s accessible each day. You’ll keep about 70-80% capacity throughout. We’ll give you a Gantt chart showing the whole programme so there’s no surprises about which areas are live when.
What specifications should industrial yard surfacing meet?
Depends what you’re using it for. Private warehouses and logistics generally follow Design Manual for Roads and Bridges guidance, plus BBA HAPAS standards if you want high-friction surfaces. If your drainage connects to public systems, you’ll need SuDS compliance. Ports and intermodal terminals need custom specs based on your actual loads – reach-stackers, container stacking, whatever you’re running. We’ll reference BS EN standards for the materials. Agricultural yards are different again – we look at your machinery types, weights, seasonal patterns. Most premium jobs use DMRB plus BBA HAPAS as the baseline regardless of whether it’s private or public sector. Sets a proper standard.
How do you engineer specifications for our specific loads?
We don’t guess. First step is watching how your site actually operates – vehicle types, weights, how they move, turning patterns. Then CBR ground testing to see what your foundation can handle. We model the stress from both static loads (containers stacked up, racking systems) and dynamic loads (HGVs, reach-stackers, whatever’s moving). From there, we specify the right binder grades, aggregate types, and layer depths to handle what you’re actually putting through it. You end up with a pavement that’s engineered for your operation, not some generic asphalt spec borrowed from a road project. Makes a massive difference to how long it lasts.
Need to understand what your yard actually needs?
Book a Free, No-Obligation Heavy-duty surfacing Assessment
We’ll assess your site, watch how your operations work, identify what’s failing and why, review the existing construction, then give you a written report with proper engineering specs and a fixed-fee quote.
No obligation, no sales pressure – just honest advice from people who’ve engineered heavy-duty yards for over 50 logistics, port, and industrial facilities.
Call or fill out our form and we'll be in touch within 24 hours.
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