Asphalt Driveway Paving in Eagan, MN

Asphalt driveway paving is the full job: removing the old surface, fixing or rebuilding the gravel base, and placing new hot-mix blacktop that is rolled to a set thickness. It is the right call for a driveway with frost heaves, sunken areas, wide alligator cracking or a base that has turned soft, and for gravel driveways being converted to a paved surface. If the problems are only on the surface, an overlay may be enough, and we will tell you so.

Signs a driveway needs replacing, not patching

• Cracking in a web or alligator-skin pattern across large areas
• Sections that heave up in winter and settle unevenly in spring
• Ruts where tires track, or soft spots that flex under a car
• Edges breaking off into the lawn
• Water that pools on the surface or runs toward the garage

A single crack or pothole can be repaired. When these show up together, the base has usually broken down, and new asphalt on top would crack again in the same places.

How we build it

HomeGuide's guide describes a typical residential build as 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel base, and 3 to 4 inches over 8 to 10 inches for heavier vehicles. Some south-metro cities set their own minimums: Shakopee's standard calls for a 3-inch wear course in two lifts over 6 inches of Class 5 aggregate, and Prior Lake requires at least 1.5 inches of bituminous on a suitable base. We write the depths for your driveway into the quote so you know exactly what you are getting.

Before any asphalt arrives, soft subgrade is dug out and replaced, the base is graded so water runs away from the garage and off the pavement, and the whole area is compacted. Hot mix is then spread, raked at the edges and rolled while it is hot enough to compact. Edges are shaped and backed so they have support.

Frost, thaw and drainage

Minnesota's building rules assume frost reaches three and a half feet deep in the Twin Cities counties. When that frost lets go in spring, the base above it is saturated, and MnDOT's research found pavement takes about five times as much damage per day in spring as in summer. A driveway that sheds water and sits on a free-draining, compacted base comes through that much better. That is why we spend most of our attention below the surface.

Approaches, widths and permits

The stretch between the street and your property line belongs to the city. In Eagan, the code limits residential driveways to 22 feet wide at the right-of-way, and new curb cuts go through the city. Other cities have their own rules, and Bloomington requires a permit for replacement and even for an overlay. We check the current requirements for your address before work that changes the approach.

After paving

Keep cars off for a few days, longer in hot weather. For the first few weeks, avoid sharp turns while parked and point loads like kickstands and trailer jacks. Plan the first sealcoat after the asphalt has cured for several months, then reseal every few years.