Asphalt Driveways in Baytown, TX

Asphalt driveways in Baytown live on some of the wettest, flattest ground in Texas. The black surface is only a few inches thick. Under it is a layer of compacted stone, and under that is native soil that, across much of the coastal prairie, is dense clay that swells when it is wet and cracks when it dries. When a driveway here ruts, potholes or sinks near the street, the cause is almost always water in the base or a base that was too thin. A new driveway has to fix both.

When replacement makes more sense than repair

• Alligator cracking across large parts of the surface
• Potholes that come back after patching
• Ruts in the wheel paths or soft spots that move under a tire
• A sunken section over the culvert or along the edge
• More patch than original asphalt

One or two small failures can be patched. When the problems are spread across the driveway, replacement usually costs less than years of repairs.

Base and drainage

We remove the old surface, then check the subgrade. Soft or pumping clay is dug out and replaced with compacted crushed stone or recycled base. HomeGuide describes a typical residential section as 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel, and 3 to 4 inches over 8 to 10 inches for trucks and trailers. Your quote states both numbers. The base is graded so the finished surface sheds water to the yard, ditch or street, never toward the garage.

Ditches and culverts

Many homes around Baytown, especially in unincorporated Harris County and Chambers County, have an open ditch at the road with a culvert pipe under the driveway. A driveway that dips over a crushed or undersized culvert will settle and hold water. If the pipe needs work, the county or city usually controls that part of the right-of-way. Harris County requires a permit to build, replace, extend or repair a driveway or culvert in its right-of-way, so we sort out who issues the permit before that part of the job is scheduled.

The garage slab and the street

At the garage, the asphalt is tapered so it meets the slab without a lip that trips water back toward the door. At the street, we match the curb, apron or road edge cleanly. If your driveway opens onto a state highway such as SH 146, any change to that access goes through a TxDOT permit.

Caring for a new driveway

New asphalt stays soft for a while, especially in July and August. Vary where you park, avoid turning the wheel while stopped, and put a board under trailer jacks and kickstands. Wait three to six months before the first sealcoat, then reseal every few years and fill cracks before they let water in.