Parking lots that aren’t a pain in the asphalt.

Go2Guys Auction “lot” gets an upgrade with TrueGrid permeable pavers.

“It’s night and day. We’ve been impressed by the way the TrueGrid parking lot has held up, particularly as compared to gravel-only areas of our site. We don’t see mud and ruts in the TrueGrid reinforced area, while the other areas are messy, particularly in the shoulder seasons.”
-Ross Mitchell, Go2Guys Auction Owner

Pictures taken May 19, 2025

Challenge

Go2Guys Auction has been dealing with a muddy, rutty, pothole-y gravel lot for years, especially during moist seasons. It makes moving heavy auction inventory loads in and out of the site particularly difficult. Occasionally vehicles get stuck, wasting time and causing further damage to their land.

So what does a business owner like Go2Guys consider when justifying the financial investment to upgrade their paving infrastructure? Montana’s climate will do its best to destroy traditional paving. The strain of extreme temperatures, fluctuations in weather, standing ice and water, and the measures that must be taken to maintain paving are not for the faint of heart or the weak of budget.

1. Frost heaves. The upward swelling of soil and ground surface caused when sub-surface moisture freezes and expands into ice lenses can lift asphalt and concrete paving by 2-4 inches, resulting in cracks, dips, pot holes and structural damage. In the first couple of years of a business’s investment damage is an inconvenience. After several years, it becomes a liability, requiring regular costly repairs and causing once-smooth surfaces to look like a patchwork quilt.

2. Un-natural environmental changes. Paving with asphalt and concrete can lead to “urban heat island effect”, where paved areas experience 3–7°F higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas. AC paving absorbs solar radiation and traps waste heat, increasing energy consumption and air pollution, particularly during Summer. On a practical level, this can mean higher energy bills for businesses, increased pollution for the environment and potential health issues for people.

3. Seasonal construction delays. Montana’s seasonality can delay and financially impact a project by making scheduling paving installation hit-or-miss. Whenever winter decides to hit and temps sink below the recommended minimum 50 degree threshold to install asphalt or concrete, paving progress is disrupted, preventing a completed build. Regular operation of asphalt/concrete mixing plants shuts down in the Fall and the ground frost layer becomes extremely expensive to heat, reducing profit margins or shooting a project over budget. Typically, pavement is the final phase and can delay a business opening and result in lost revenue.

Solution

“We’re happy to put TrueGrid to the test in Montana’s climate with dozens of commercial, municipal, and residential projects to date. It’s no surprise that TrueGrid has proven itself as a formidable alternative to asphalt and concrete in the Rocky Mountain region.”
- Mike Kennaw, General Manager of Airlite Plastics Sustainable Building Division

Retail and commercial establishments that need parking areas for patrons have lived with the disadvantages of asphalt, concrete, or gravel due to perceived lack of a more reliable and affordable alternative. That is, until TrueGrid permeable pavers became readily available in Montana in 2023.

Montana Hardscape Hub recognized TrueGrid as a nationally proven sustainable alternative to traditional paving and became TrueGrid’s authorized value-added dealer. With a track record of multi-year durable installations of up to 20+ acres across the United States - industrial parking lots to park trails to festival spaces to residential driveways and patios - the solution showed potential to preserve Montana’s aesthetic beauty in urban settings while protecting the environment - and without sacrificing paving strength and longevity.

Montana Hardscape Hub approached Go2Guys Auction to do a proof-of-concept for a long-term paving solution on their site in Four Corners. Planning for and vetting durable and stable parking and drive areas would be essential as the business and site traffic evolve. They liked the idea of reinforcing a 1,000 sq ft section of parking to test the concept as they considered future expansion.

Montana Hardscape Hub installed a commercial TrueGrid parking lot on the Go2Guys Auction site in January 2024 in the dead of winter with temperatures ranging from sub-zero to 40 degrees.

A top authorized TrueGrid installation partner, ADM Dirtworks, made it happen. The ground was excavated 10” to allow for an 8” base prep layer (typically recommended for commercial parking lots).

The organic material layer was compacted and a non-woven fabric secured. 1.5” minus road base aggregate was added for the base, leveled and compacted in 4” flights. Pressure-treated wood edging was anchored around the perimeter. TrueGrid PRO PLUS permeable pavers (1.8” tall) were snapped together to cover the 1,000 sq ft area.

Yellow SnowSpots were added to delineate each parking stall (TrueGrid’s solution to life-time “striping”). Black basalt aggregate was distributed and leveled within the TrueGrid cells for a beautiful reinforced natural gravel paving aesthetic.

Source: Weather Underground

Result

After 2 full years in the ground and in the midst of its 3rd winter season, this TrueGrid-reinforced gravel parking lot has withstood vehicle traffic and snow removal, while maintaining its structural integrity.

While the surrounding graded gravel areas experience pooling and runoff, the TrueGrid parking lot naturally absorbs melted snow, ice, and rainwater back into the detention base layer below and returns it into the ground.

TrueGrid’s built-in flexibility has minimized visible changes to the surface layer that may have been otherwise created due to frost heaves. And there’s no notable change in the surface temperature, even in 100 degree days.

This TrueGrid parking lot is available 24/7 for viewing by businesses, designers, contractors and homeowners looking to level-up their paving. Feel free to stop by or contact us to arrange a guided visit.

Location:
Go2Guys Auction
50 E. Hulbert Rd.
Bozeman, MT 59718

TrueGrid is the world’s strongest permeable paver. Used in grass and gravel paving, it’s strong enough to park a crane on, stand up to Montana’s tough climate and snow plowing, and still last for decades. Contact Montana Hardscape Hub here to learn if TrueGrid can solve you commercial or residential paving problem.