Paving glossary
Alligator Cracking,
defined plainly.
One term, one honest explanation — from the shop that deals with it daily.
Alligator Cracking: Interconnected cracks that look like reptile scales, covering an area rather than running in a line. It signals failure in the base or subgrade below the asphalt — the surface is flexing where its support has gone soft.
Why it matters on your job: When we see alligatored areas, we quote patching or rebuild for those sections; filling the cracks alone would just be caulk over a structural problem.
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