Infrared Specialists of New Jersey turn old pavement into virtually new

When it comes to repairing old pavement, Infrared Specialists of New Jersey, Matawan, N.J., have earned a reputation for turning problem areas into virtually new pavement. Tom Eosso, officer and part-owner of Infrared Specialists, swears by the infrared method for expanding the life of asphalt. He uses the Total Maintenance Vehicle (TMV), from Ray-Tech Infrared Corp., Charlestown N.H., for his repair work in New Jersey, whether it is repairing bad oil spots and puddles in parking lots, or smoothing out bumps or irregular seams on major highways. Infrared Specialists of New Jersey is a subsidiary of Eosso Brothers Paving. The Eosso brothers — Anthony, Gary, and Tom — started the company after the tremendous success they had using their infrared machines. They appointed their mother, Donna Eosso, president of the company. Infrared Specialists was the first infrared company in New Jersey and Eosso Brothers Paving was the first company to use infrared in the state.

Tom Eosso first learned of the infrared method when he attended a paving conference in Nashville, Tenn., where he met Wes Van Velsor, president of Ray-Tech Infrared Corp. Eosso received information and saw the infrared machine demonstrated and was sold on the idea of using infrared to repair pavement as opposed to cold patching. “I came home and told my brother that I wanted to purchase the machine and he looked at me like I was crazy because we had never even heard of infrared before,” says Eosso. “I told him that I would like to be the first one to have the machine around here, and the business has just skyrocketed since then. When you show people that you can heat through the pavement, it simply amazes them.”

Eosso is well aware of the benefits of infrared repair. Eosso can send out two men with one machine and they can get the entire job done. When comparing infrared to other methods of patching, it is significantly lower in cost, according to Eosso: “It saves the cost of a temporary patch because it can be done in any temperature and it also reduces expense by eliminating the cost of cutting and removing the cold patch material.”

Using their TMV, the Infrared Specialists crews heat the pavement to a workable temperature, then take an asphalt rake and rake the asphalt as if it was brand new material. The TMV has an 8-foot by 6-foot infrared pavement heater that heats a 48-square-foot area, without burning or damaging the asphalt. Eosso is very pleased with his latest infrared machine from Ray-Tech. “Everything is self-contained on this one truck,” says Eosso. “It uses very little labor. My profit margin per day on this machine is higher than anything else I have. Instead of putting cold patches down in the winter, we can fix the pavement with a permanent patch in -10&Mac251; F if we have to.”

Once the old pavement has been heated and raked, Infrared Specialists crews add more asphalt as needed to meet the grade and then compact the area with a 2-ton vibratory roller. “With the infrared method, you get a permanent patch without a seam,” says Eosso. “The infrared actually heats the area so there is no seam and water cannot get into the joint.”

Eosso and his crews used the TMV at the shopping center, Aviation Plaza, in Linden, N.J. George Fuller Co. repaired the pavement of the shopping center’s parking lot and project manager Greg Nordstrom hired Infrared Specialists to fix broken asphalt in areas that were not draining properly. He also had them repair a ramp in front of a Target store that was too low and a trip hazard. “It was in the middle of winter and it was actually too cold to pave,” says Eosso. “But we went in and heated everything up when there was actually snow on the ground.” Nordstrom was impressed with the quality of the repair job. “They heated up the asphalt and reworked it so that it came out the way we needed it to look,” says Nordstrom. “The infrared method was much more cost-effective than ripping out old asphalt and replacing it with new. It was also a much more efficient use of time.”

Infrared Specialists has also done several repair jobs for K. Hovnanian Northeast, a major home developer in New Jersey. Infrared Specialists has helped K. Hovnanian meet spec requirements to satisfy bond issues. “Basically, Infrared Specialists has not come in and initially paved for me, but they have repaired everything else,” says Mark Caverly, manager of bonds and transitions at K. Hovnanian. “Bond issues are very difficult to meet, and Infrared Specialists has done a very good job helping us satisfy our bond requirements.”

Infrared Specialists has repaired everything from major roads to sinkholes and cracks for K. Hovnanian. Caverly was pleased with the work Infrared Specialists has performed. “The infrared method gives a smooth finish and it seals nicely. It has a clean look,” says Caverly.
Eosso has been so pleased with his infrared successes, he is considering scaling back his paving business and concentrating on the clients that demand his quality repair work using the infrared machines. “I get calls every day from people needing my infrared machine,” says Eosso. “My infrared truck goes out three days a week, but I have the work to send it out six days a week if I wanted.”

Well-known for their quality repair work, Infrared Specialists has earned the respect of contractors and agencies alike. “Infrared Specialists are very professional and they stand behind their work,” says Caverly. “They are meticulous and they are everything that you want in a contractor.”