Asphalt Milling and Overlay for Union Pacific Railroad in Topeka, KS
Union Pacific Railroad's parking lot in Topeka, Kansas had reached the end of its service life. Years of traffic from employees, heavy equipment, and Kansas weather had left the surface rutted, cracked, and functionally failing. Union Pacific needed a contractor who could come in, assess the damage honestly, and deliver a finished lot that would hold up for another decade-plus without a full tear-out and reconstruction. Platinum Paving was the crew for the job.
We assessed the site and recommended a mill-and-overlay approach — milling off the deteriorated top layer of asphalt and replacing it with a fresh hot-mix overlay. This gave Union Pacific a structurally sound, professionally finished surface without the cost and timeline of a full-depth reconstruction. When the sub-base is still intact, mill and overlay is the right call: you get most of the benefit of a new lot at a fraction of the replacement cost.
Why Milling and Overlaying Beats a Full Replacement in Most Cases
A lot of property owners and facility managers hear "the parking lot needs work" and immediately picture a full demolition and rebuild. That is rarely necessary, and it is almost always the most expensive option. Milling removes the damaged asphalt layer — typically 1.5 to 2 inches — down to a solid, stable base. Once the old surface is off, you inspect the base, correct any soft spots, then pave a new overlay directly on top.
The result is a lot that looks, performs, and drains like a new installation. The surface is uniform and freshly compacted, so it holds up well under vehicle and equipment loads. The existing curbs, drainage structures, and pavement markings all remain in place — and the project timeline is a fraction of a full reconstruction, critical for an active facility where parking cannot be out of service for weeks.
The Project: Milling, Base Correction, and Fresh Overlay
Our crew mobilized equipment to the Union Pacific site in Topeka and began milling the existing asphalt surface. The milling machine makes consistent passes across the lot, cutting the old surface to a uniform depth and leaving a textured profile that bonds well to the new overlay. Milled material is loaded out as we go — no material sitting on site and no mess left behind.
After milling, we walked the exposed base with the client to review the surface condition. Any areas with soft spots or drainage issues were addressed before paving began. This step is what separates a proper mill-and-overlay from a quick patch job — skipping the base inspection and correction is how lots fail again within a few years. With the base solid, we paved the fresh overlay in lifts, compacting each pass with roller equipment until the surface was smooth, uniform, and properly crowned for drainage.
Serving Commercial and Industrial Clients Beyond the Kansas City Metro
Platinum Paving is based in Kansas City, KS, and handles the full KC metro. We also take on projects for large commercial and industrial clients outside the metro when the scope warrants it — railroad facilities, regional distribution centers, institutional campuses, and similar. Union Pacific's Topeka project is a good example of the kind of work we do for clients who need a contractor that shows up with the right equipment, does the job correctly, and backs the work with a warranty.
If you manage a commercial or industrial property and your parking lot or paved surface is failing, the right first step is an honest assessment. We will walk the site, tell you whether it needs a mill and overlay, a full replacement, or just targeted repairs, and give you a written price before any work starts. We do not oversell full replacements when a resurface will do the job, and we do not undersell the scope when the base truly needs to be addressed.
Call us at (913) 701-6044 or send us a message online to schedule a free on-site estimate. We are available 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will get back to you the same day.
