Asphalt and base terms, and the trench, bedding and pipe terms used when pipelines are installed, abandoned or removed.
Prices for this work: excavation and grading · concrete and asphalt removal · asbestos removal · tank and hazardous materials · all 2026 prices
Also see: notes for architects, engineers and contractors
Related services: Concrete removal · Grading and excavation · Asbestos abatement (Cal/OSHA, DOSH-registered subcontractor)
Asphalt, base and paving
- Alligator cracking
- A pattern of connected cracks in asphalt, like an alligator’s skin, that usually means the base or subgrade underneath has failed. It is repaired by removing and replacing the full section rather than sealing it.
- Asphalt concrete (AC / HMA)
- Hot-mixed asphalt binder and crushed rock, laid hot and rolled, the usual paving for streets and parking lots. Removal is priced per square foot by thickness, and the grindings and chunks are recycled. Concrete removal service
- Class 2 aggregate base
- Caltrans-specified base rock with set grading and quality limits, widely used under paving on public and private work. It can include recycled concrete and asphalt where the specifications allow.
- Cold milling
- Grinding off the top layer of asphalt with a milling machine. The ground material, called millings, is recycled. Concrete and asphalt removal
- Crushed aggregate base
- Graded crushed rock or recycled concrete, often called base rock, placed and compacted under slabs and paving.
- Crushed miscellaneous base (CMB)
- Base rock made from crushed recycled concrete and asphalt, widely used in Southern California under slabs and paving.
- Grind and overlay
- Milling off the top 1 to 2 inches of worn asphalt and paving a new layer over the ground surface. It costs far less than full removal when the base underneath is still sound.
- Portland cement concrete (PCC)
- Concrete made with portland cement, used for curbs, gutters, sidewalks, cross gutters and some street sections. On plans, PCC separates it from asphalt concrete (AC).
- Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP)
- Asphalt millings and broken asphalt reprocessed into new paving or base. Recyclers take clean asphalt loads at low cost, which is why asphalt is easy to divert.
- Remove and replace (dig-out)
- Cutting out a failed section of paving and its base, recompacting the subgrade and repaving it full depth. It is used where the base has failed, shown by alligator cracking or potholes. Our concrete removal work
- Slurry seal
- A thin coat of asphalt emulsion, fine aggregate and water spread over existing pavement to seal it and renew the surface. It is maintenance, not structure, and won’t fix base failures.
- Tack coat
- A thin asphalt emulsion sprayed between layers of paving so new asphalt bonds to the old.
- Wedge grinding
- Milling a tapered edge into existing asphalt so new paving meets it flush instead of leaving a step.
Pipeline installation and removal
- Abandon in place (grout or slurry fill)
- Leaving an unused pipe in the ground after cutting, capping and filling it with grout or slurry so it cannot collapse or carry water.
- Asbestos cement pipe (ACP)
- Water and sewer pipe made of cement and asbestos fibers, installed widely until the 1980s. Removing it is regulated asbestos work: the pipe is wrapped, labeled and hauled to a landfill permitted to take asbestos waste. Asbestos abatement by our Cal/OSHA, DOSH-registered subcontractor
- Bedding and shading
- Bedding is the sand or gravel layer a pipe rests on. Shading is the same material placed around and over the pipe to protect it.
- Butt fusion
- Joining HDPE pipe by heating the two ends and pressing them together into one seamless joint.
- CCTV inspection
- Running a camera through a sewer or storm drain to record its condition, both before work and to accept new lines.
- Chlorination (disinfection) and bacteriological test
- Disinfecting a new water line with chlorine, flushing it, then lab-testing water samples before the line goes into service.
- Cleanout
- A capped access point on a sewer or drain line for clearing blockages and running inspections.
- CML&C steel pipe
- Cement-mortar lined and coated steel pipe, used for large water transmission mains.
- Confined space entry
- Entering a vault, manhole, tank or similar space with limited openings and possibly hazardous air, under Cal/OSHA confined space rules with air testing and an attendant.
- Dewatering
- Pumping groundwater out of an excavation so work can proceed in the dry. Discharging the water may need a permit from the regional water board or the local sewer agency.
- Ductile iron pipe
- Strong, cement-lined iron pipe used for water mains and in high-pressure or heavy-load locations.
- Greenbook (Standard Specifications for Public Works Construction)
- The construction specification most Southern California cities and agencies use for streets, utilities and site work.
- HDPE pipe
- Flexible high-density polyethylene pipe joined by heat fusion, used for water, gas and storm drain lines.
- Hot tap
- Connecting a new line to a pipe that stays in service under pressure, using a fitted saddle and a tapping machine.
- Hydrostatic pressure test
- Filling a new pressure line with water and holding it at a set test pressure for a set time, often two hours, to prove it doesn’t leak.
- Invert elevation
- The elevation of the inside bottom of a pipe, used to set the slope so gravity lines drain.
- Mandrel test
- Pulling a sized tool through new flexible pipe to prove it hasn’t deflected beyond the allowed limit, commonly 5 percent.
- Manhole
- A concrete structure that gives access to a sewer or storm drain for inspection and maintenance, placed where lines join or change direction.
- Open trench
- The standard way to install or remove pipe: dig a trench, lay or pull the pipe, backfill and restore the surface. Grading and excavation service
- Pipe zone
- The part of a trench from the bedding under a pipe to a set height above it, usually 12 inches, filled with select material.
- PVC C900 pipe
- Pressure-rated PVC pipe made to the AWWA C900 standard, widely used for water mains and fire lines.
- Reinforced concrete pipe (RCP)
- Precast concrete pipe with steel reinforcing, the standard for large storm drains and culverts.
- T-patch / trench paving restoration
- Repaving over a street trench with a patch wider than the trench, shaped like a T in cross-section, built to the city’s standard.
- Thrust block
- A mass of concrete poured against a pipe fitting, such as a bend or tee, to resist the push of water under pressure.
- Tie-in
- The connection of new pipe to an existing system, usually scheduled with the owner because it may require a shutdown.
- Tracer wire
- Insulated copper wire laid with plastic pipe so the line can be located from the surface later.
- Trench backfill
- Material placed above the pipe zone and compacted in lifts up to the subgrade or surface. Under streets, it is tested for compaction. Our grading work
- Trench box
- A steel box set in a trench that protects workers from cave-ins. It is one form of shoring.
- Vitrified clay pipe (VCP)
- Clay sewer pipe fired to a hard, chemical-resistant finish, common in older sewer systems.
- Warning tape
- Colored plastic tape buried above a pipe to warn anyone digging before they reach it. The color shows the utility type.
Street, parking lot and pipeline work
Who’s involved
Public works agencies, water and sewer districts, utility contractors, civil engineers, and owners of aging parking lots or service lines.
What the work involves
The paving terms cover removing and recycling asphalt and the base rock under it. The pipeline terms follow a pipe from the trench to the backfill: bedding, pipe materials, pressure and disinfection testing, and the steps for abandoning or removing old lines, including asbestos cement pipe.
Why it matters
Street and utility work is inspected closely. Trench compaction, paving restoration to the city’s standard and testing of new water lines decide whether an agency accepts the work and releases payment.
Where it applies in Southern California
Most Southern California cities and agencies build to the Greenbook and their own standard plans, and work in the street needs an encroachment permit and usually a traffic control plan. Many older water systems in the region still have asbestos cement pipe in the ground.
How SoCal Removal fits in
SoCal Removal removes asphalt, concrete and base, removes and abandons pipe, and backfills and restores trenches. Asbestos cement pipe is removed by a Cal/OSHA (DOSH)-registered subcontractor under asbestos rules. On public works, prevailing wage and certified payroll are kept for every crew member. See concrete removal and concrete and asphalt removal prices.
See all 2026 pricesCall (949) 446-0000
SoCal Removal is the business name of Abajian Enterprise, a California corporation. CSLB #980451 (A, B, C-21). Certifications: HAZ, ASB (ASB for bidding only). Verify the license · Insurance and project bonding