What equipment is required for matching paved joints?

The correct answer is a joint matcher, as this is the specific piece of equipment designed for aligning and matching paved joints in asphalt. A joint matcher is crucial for creating seamless transitions between lanes or sections of pavement, ensuring that surface elevations and alignments are consistent. This helps to prevent future issues such as cracking, which can emerge from improperly matched joints.

While a level, tape measure, and paver are all important tools in the paving process, they do not serve the specific purpose of matching joints. A level is primarily used to check the horizontal alignment of surfaces, ensuring that the pavement is even. A tape measure is useful for measuring distances and dimensions but does not contribute directly to the joint matching process. A paver is essential for the initial laying down of asphalt but does not have the functionality to ensure the proper alignment of joints after the pavement has been installed. Therefore, in the context of ensuring that paved joints are matched effectively, the joint matcher is the appropriate equipment for the task.