A method for preparing a polyepoxy-polymer-linked-asphalt composition, said method comprising: providing one or more polymers that is/are an epoxy- functionalized ethylene copolymer, wherein the epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer is selected from the group consisting of an ethylene glycidyl methacrylate dipolymer, an ethylene vinyl acetate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer, an ethylene n-butyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate, and an ethylene methyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer; heating and mixing the polymer(s) with asphalt having an asphaltene content of from 1 to 5 wt.% to provide a polymer-asphalt blend; adding phosphorous acid to the polymer-asphalt blend; and mixing the phosphorous acid with the polymer-asphalt blend, wherein the polyepoxy-polymer-linked-asphalt composition comprises: (a) 89 to 99.4 weight % of asphalt having an asphaltene content of from 1 to 5 wt%; (b) 0.5 to 5 weight % of an E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer, wherein E represents the copolymerized repeat unit -(CH 2 CH 2)- derived from ethylene; X represents the copolymerized repeat unit -(CH 2 CR 1 R 2)-, where R 1 is hydrogen, methyl, or ethyl, and R 2 is carboalkoxy, acyloxy, or alkoxy of 1 to 10 carbon atoms; Y represents the copolymerized repeat unit -(CH 2 CR 3 R 4)-, where R 3 is hydrogen or methyl and R 4 is carboglycidoxy or glycidoxy; and Z represents the copolymerized repeat unit derived from one or more additional comonomers; wherein the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer comprises 0 to 40 wt% of copolymerized repeat units of X, 0.3 to 25 wt% of copolymerized repeat units of Y, and 0 to 10 wt% of copolymerized repeat units of Z; wherein the weight percentages of the copolymerized repeat units of X, Y, and Z are based on the total weight of the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer; and wherein the sum of the weight percentages of E, X, Y, and Z in the E/X/Y/Z epoxy- functionalized ethylene copolymer is 100 wt%; wherein the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer is selected from the group consisting of an ethylene glycidyl methacrylate dipolymer, an ethylene vinyl acetate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer, an ethylene n-butyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate, and an ethylene methyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer; and (c) 0.1 to 1 weight % of phosphorous acid, and wherein the weight percentages of the asphalt, the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer, and the phosphorous acid are based on the total weight of the polyepoxy-polymer-linked-asphalt composition. providing one or more polymers that is/are an epoxy- functionalized ethylene copolymer, wherein the epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer is selected from the group consisting of an ethylene glycidyl methacrylate dipolymer, an ethylene vinyl acetate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer, an ethylene n-butyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate, and an ethylene methyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer; heating and mixing the polymer(s) with asphalt having an asphaltene content of from 1 to 5 wt.% to provide a polymer-asphalt blend; adding phosphorous acid to the polymer-asphalt blend; and mixing the phosphorous acid with the polymer-asphalt blend, (a) 89 to 99.4 weight % of asphalt having an asphaltene content of from 1 to 5 wt%; (b) 0.5 to 5 weight % of an E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer, wherein E represents the copolymerized repeat unit -(CH 2 CH 2)- derived from ethylene; X represents the copolymerized repeat unit -(CH 2 CR 1 R 2)-, where R 1 is hydrogen, methyl, or ethyl, and R 2 is carboalkoxy, acyloxy, or alkoxy of 1 to 10 carbon atoms; Y represents the copolymerized repeat unit -(CH 2 CR 3 R 4)-, where R 3 is hydrogen or methyl and R 4 is carboglycidoxy or glycidoxy; and Z represents the copolymerized repeat unit derived from one or more additional comonomers; wherein the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer comprises 0 to 40 wt% of copolymerized repeat units of X, 0.3 to 25 wt% of copolymerized repeat units of Y, and 0 to 10 wt% of copolymerized repeat units of Z; wherein the weight percentages of the copolymerized repeat units of X, Y, and Z are based on the total weight of the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer; and wherein the sum of the weight percentages of E, X, Y, and Z in the E/X/Y/Z epoxy- functionalized ethylene copolymer is 100 wt%; wherein the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer is selected from the group consisting of an ethylene glycidyl methacrylate dipolymer, an ethylene vinyl acetate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer, an ethylene n-butyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate, and an ethylene methyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer; and (c) 0.1 to 1 weight % of phosphorous acid, and wherein the weight percentages of the asphalt, the E/X/Y/Z epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer, and the phosphorous acid are based on the total weight of the polyepoxy-polymer-linked-asphalt composition.