Need help New Driveway - Asphalt paving specs?

[hazmat]

Hey gang,

Wife is sick of weeds growing in gravel driveway. I'm sick of dealing with gravel in lawn after plowing snow. So we've begun getting quotes for paving.

Question - what do I need? So far 2 guys quoted remove gravel, grade & pave with 2 1.5" layers of asphalt (3" total). One mentioned adding stone dust while grading.

Should there be some kind of gravel base under the pavement? Should they be compacting the dirt, or is it already packed from 9 years of use as driveway. Looking for the 20 year solution, not 100 year....

Thanks

 

[beenthere]

If the drive has had no soft spots in those years of driving, then the asphalt should ride on top very well. I don't know what 'remove gravel' means, or the reason why, but would think it would only be for leveling and keeping the right 'grade'. You want a firm base under the asphalt, IMO.

Just paved my 35 year old gravel drive, and the 'ditch' on the upper side was filled in (now the water runs across the drive, not along it) with re-grind (old asphalt) which is better than gravel but about the same price. I had extra re-grind brought in to use along the edges of the asphalt.

But, weeds will grow through the asphalt too, so use round-up to kill as many as possible ahead of time. In the old days (pre asphalt) I regularly would use round-up spray on the gravel to keep the weeds from growing.

I'm very happy with the outcome.

 

[Golfgar4]

Stephen,

Admittedly it's been about 35 years since I worked in asphalt (summer work during college), but I can't ever remember NOT having some kind of stone base. Most of our work back then was building/paving new parking lots and streets. But we did do an occassional driveway.

Certainly there could have been some tremendous improvements in asphalt technology in these intervening years. But it would be hard to believe that they're now paving on compressed dirt!? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I believe that your 9 year old driveway does provide a well compacted base, but I also believe that there needs to be some amount of small rock (gravel) under your first mat of asphalt. That gravel should be well compacted before laying the asphalt. You have a tractor. Any chance you could save a little money by removing some of the material yourself, and then letting the contractor come in and do the final prep?

Will this driveway be for just car traffic, or will there be heavier traffic, such as trucks (or tractors with implements?? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif)? If you'll be having heavier traffic, then you might want to consider 4" of asphalt. Otherwise, I think 3" will do.

You might want to consider doing some kind of curbing or forms on the sides of the driveway. One of the problems a person can encounter with asphalt is that over time, the edges begin to breakdown and crumble when they are not supported. Now you didn't mention how long this driveway will be, and certainly adding something like curbing or edging will increase the cost. But it greatly enhances the appearance of the driveway, and also helps maintain longer. It seems as though once the edges start to crumble, the rest of the driveway deteriorates fairly quickly.

You also need to remember that there is some on going maintenance for an asphalt driveway. The asphalt should be sealed every so often (we didn't do that and I can't remember what frequency we recommended /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif) to maintain it's appearance and keep cracks and holes from developing.

Hope this helped. Good luck.

 

[LarryRB]

After running a town highway dep't. I found that here in New England you're way ahead of the game going chip seal verses bituminous ( asphalt).. With stone chip seal they lay down a row of 3/4 stone, oil over, then roll, then a mix of 1/2 - 3/8 stone, oil and roll, final layer of oil and 1/4 chip stone and roll.. Asphalt does not give with heaving stones between winter and spring.. Chip stone does and acts like an elastic band.. Also, very little set up needs and the cost is one third that of bituminous..

 

[hazmat]

Larry,

Any pictures of what that might look like? Would any paving contractor be able to do it?

 

[LarryRB]

Have you ever traveled the roads and watch them oil, then spread real small stones on the old roads? Same thing only they found out that layering it with dofferent size stones os better. You only layer on gravel roads instead of asphalting them.. After trying the first two miles of highly traveled gravel roads, I swear by this system.. That was about 8 years ago and just now, they will put one layer of oil/1/4 seal over it.. Of course you're driveway, at least shouldn't., have 300 vehicles per day.. Most asphalt pavers will not deal with it as it cuts into their profits and future jobs.. All State is who I dealt with on the town basis.. They are in Sunderland Mass and have been buying up most of the oilers in the last 10 years.. I beleive thy have an 800 number, and if you call them, ask if they acquired any companies up your way or better still, do they have any town chip sealing scheduled.. I always dealt with a guy named "Huck" who lives in Hamden MA and has treated me better than well could ever be... If they are oiling in towns near you, tht is the time to have it done.. the costs is usually cut a few pennies per sq foot layed down because they don't have to truck in the stone and oil long distance. Not only that, Huck was always for the small guy or small town like I ran and it shows everywhere he's ever been...

 

[KubotaSteve]

Larry,
From what you are describing, that sounds like a tar and chip road. They used those on old back roads where I live, but they never seemed to hold up as well as asphalt. They also did some sub division roads with the tar and chip and they did ok unless the big dump trucks were running on it and then it got tore up pretty bad. I think if I was going to do my driveway, I would go with asphalt. Just my two cents.

 

[LarryRB]

It is, somewhat, what your describing.. ALthough, we don't have tri-axles grossing 135K carrying coal.. I stayed a year outside Ironton Ohio across from Huntington W.Va and seen what they do there.. Here, it is 3 separate layers, 3 separate types of oil used and heavily rolled in place.. A long drive they can do in 6 or so hours.. Another thing is, up here, we have radical temp swings which you guys don't.. It can be 15 below zero 20 days running, then one day of 30.. This, is what makes the chip seal roads better in my opinion because the chip seal can adapt to these wild swings.

 

[SPIKER]

we had the drive done about 5 yrs back with asphault. it is shot now... too many ruts and such, it was a 15+ yr drive with gravel under well compacted base but there was some pot holes and those came back with in a year through the asphault. now those spots held water and cracked up and are well shot. it was 2 layers of 1.5~2" rolled and tamped, but we do have trucks in and out, for loadeding and unloading equipment. as well as trash truck for dumpster.

I would go the tar and chip, the roads around here are done that way, they hold up as long or longer with truck trafic from farms as well as LARGE tractors & amish buggies. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

yes the frost heave in Ohio is bad, weeks of sub 0 then next days are above freezing & raining then bakc to the sub freezing . all year long, then summer is 90's+ for weeks or several days and rain same day then drop to 60's at night. they may develop some Swales in the tar/chip but usually no cracks.

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Currmudgeon]

If you're getting ruts and potholes, the problem is in the base rather than the pavement. Asphalt or Chip-n-seal are flexible pavements and gain a significant portion of their strength from the base. If there are soft spots within about two feet of the surface, they need to be dug out and replaced with good compacted native material or crushed aggregate. It's also important to keep water out of the base, installing drainage ditches if necessary.

The best way to check the subgrade is by proof rolling it. Run a loaded dump truck on the prepared subgrade. If it moves, compact it some more, or undercut it and replace it.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( it was 2 layers of 1.5~2" rolled and tamped, )</font>

Depending on the underlying soils, and without doing any calculations, I'd be thinking of at least 8 inches of compact aggregate base on a sound subgrade, with two courses of asphalt, totalling about four inches. The trucks will still beat that up in time.