Asphalt Paving Cost

Asphalt paving has many advantages over concrete paving. Firstly, asphalt paving is cheaper than concrete paving. Secondly, it sustains extreme cold weather and is less prone to cracking, owing to its flexibility. It also facilitates easy snow removal. Lastly, it allows re-layering, which is not the case with concrete. Asphalt allows you to paint patterns, similar to those on concrete roads. Once, you pave your roads with asphalt, you won't need to pave them in the next 15 years, except for some routine maintenance work. If you are planning to get your driveway paved, then this article on asphalt paving cost can be of help to you. More on concrete vs asphalt driveway.

How Much Does Asphalt Paving Cost

Paving your driveway is definitely not a job you can accomplish on your own. You need a paving contractor who can do the job for you. Unfortunately, you will most likely come across many con contractors who may rob you off your money. Hence beware of contractors who approach you first, rather than you approaching them. Do not deal with a contractor who offers you a discount just because he has a left over material from the previous job. Assigning the job to a right contractor is of utmost importance as asphalt paving cost is highly influenced by the contractor fees. More on asphalt paving sealer.

Often, a contractor arranges for the material, equipment and labor. Inquire with him, if his fees also include transportation charges, else you will have to pay for additional charges. If you have a Federal or state highway re-paving going on nearby, call the crew to check if they have any extra asphalt left. Often, the contracting companies ship the materials at their own expense. Hence, they have to pay additional cost to transport the left over material back. Chances are, you might get a good deal if you buy asphalt from these companies.

Cost of asphalt paving also depends upon the condition of existing road. If you do not have any major damages or cracks, then asphalt paving can be done right on top of the existing road. However, this is likely to elevate the road by 3''- 4'', which could become a problem if you have fences, garage doors at this height. Another option is to rip off the existing pavement and pave asphalt directly on the soil. However, this method may not be very durable. The best technique of asphalt paving is to lay a base of stone and sand aggregate and then pour asphalt upon it. For 3'' layer of asphalt, you need a base layer of thickness of about 6'' to 8''. This method turns out to be pretty expensive, nonetheless, it is extremely durable. More on asphalt driveway repair tips.

If you are required to do excavation work before paving the road, then expect to pay an additional amount towards this job. Asphalt paving cost is greatly dependent upon the total area to be paved. On an average, you are likely to pay somewhere around US$ 3.5 to US$ 5 per sq ft. This comes to around US$ 1575 to US$ 2250 for a 450 sq ft driveway. The cost also varies extensively depending upon you area of residence, availability of materials etc. If you can arrange for materials and transportation, then you will have to shell a few hundred dollars less.

Asphalt paving cost is indeed cheaper than concrete, but these days, concrete rates have also slumped, so you can consider that option as well. Asphalt paving takes only a few hours for laying and a day for drying. So you can get this job done even on a weekend.