Asphalt covers more than 90 percent of the 2.7 million miles of paved roads in the United States.

It’s a durable yet flexible material, creating smooth pavement for our traveling convenience. But the steady pounding of semi trucks, the yearly squeeze and release of the freezing and thawing cycles, the heat of the sun’s rays, and the effects of constant oxidation eventually win out.

Asphalt will break down—and when it does, we rip up our roads and start over.