Asphalt Driveway Paving in Baton Rouge, LA

Asphalt driveway paving in the Baton Rouge area is a drainage job with a layer of asphalt on top. With close to 62 inches of rain a year, flat lots and soils that swell when wet, a driveway that holds water in its base will rut, crack and pothole no matter how fresh the surface looks on day one. A new driveway has to fix the reasons the old one failed, not just cover them.

Signs it is time to replace

• Cracks that join into a web or alligator-skin pattern
• Ruts or low spots that hold water after a storm
• Potholes that come back after patching
• Edges crumbling into the lawn or the ditch
• More patch than original surface

A few isolated cracks can be sealed, and a small failed area can be cut out and patched. When those problems cover much of the driveway, replacement usually costs less over time than fixing the same areas again and again.

Getting the base right

After the old surface comes out, we proof the ground and look for areas that pump or move under load. Soft, wet or organic soil is dug out and replaced with compacted crushed stone, then the base is built up and compacted in lifts to the depth in your quote. HomeGuide describes a typical residential section as 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of gravel base, and 3 to 4 inches of asphalt over 8 to 10 inches of base for heavier vehicles. Driveways that see a work truck, a boat trailer or an RV get the heavier section.

Grade and water on flat lots

On a flat Baton Rouge lot, water does not leave on its own. We build in crown or cross slope so the surface sheds rain to the sides, keep the low end from draining toward the garage slab, and make sure runoff has somewhere to go once it leaves the asphalt. Downspouts that dump onto the driveway get pointed out, because a steady stream of roof water onto one spot is a common reason for a pothole in the same place every year.

The apron, the ditch and the pipe

Many streets in East Baton Rouge Parish drain to open ditches, so the driveway crosses a culvert at the street. The City-Parish culvert permit does not allow PVC or HDPE pipe under driveways and requires driveway pipe at least 24 feet long, and new pipe is inspected before it is backfilled. If the pipe is crushed, silted in or too short, the apron sags and water backs up into the yard. We check the pipe at the estimate and tell you whether it can stay or should be replaced as part of the job. Cities such as Central, Zachary, St. George and Walker have their own culvert rules, and a driveway on a state highway falls under a Louisiana DOTD access connection permit.

Gravel and shell conversions

Plenty of homes on the edges of the parish still have gravel, limestone or shell driveways. An existing stone bed can sometimes serve as part of the new base, which helps the budget. We check how much stone is still there, how much has worked down into the soil, and whether the grade works, then regrade, add stone where needed and pave.

After paving

Fresh asphalt stays soft through its first summer, and Baton Rouge summers are long. Keep cars off it for the time we give you, avoid turning the wheel while parked, and put a board under kickstands and trailer jacks. HomeGuide advises waiting three to six months before the first sealcoat so the asphalt can cure.