Asphalt Repair in Alexandria, VA

Asphalt repair targets damage in one place before it takes over the whole surface: a pothole near the garage, a sunken patch where a tree root decayed, an edge crumbling into the lawn, a trench that settled after a utility repair. On the clay soils around Alexandria, a small failure takes on water with every storm and gets bigger each winter. Repairing it early is far cheaper than resurfacing or replacing.

Patch types and what they cost

HomeGuide lists cold patch at $2 to $4 per square foot, hot patch at $2 to $5, saw-cut repair at $4 to $12 and infrared repair at $2 to $6. Cold patch is a temporary fill. A saw-cut repair removes the broken asphalt in a clean rectangle, digs out wet or soft material underneath, rebuilds the base with compacted stone and places new hot-mix flush with the surrounding pavement. That is the repair that stops a pothole from coming back.

Reading the damage

• A web of small connected cracks means the base below has failed
• A low spot that holds water means the ground has settled
• A surface that moves when you drive on it means wet material underneath
• A pothole that returns every spring means it was never dug out

We dig until we hit firm ground, however deep that is.

Edges and aprons

Driveway edges fail first because nothing holds them. We cut back to sound asphalt, rebuild the base, repave and backfill soil against the new edge. Repairs at the apron may touch the curb or sidewalk. In Alexandria, work in the public right-of-way needs a T&ES permit; in Fairfax County, VDOT's rules apply on most streets. We tell you if your repair reaches that far.

Utility trenches

After a water, sewer or gas line is repaired under a driveway, the trench often settles over the following months. The fix is to remove the sunken patch, compact new stone in layers and repave. We make sure the repair sits flush so water does not pond along the joint.

Minimum charges

Small repairs carry a set cost for bringing a crew and equipment. HomeGuide lists typical minimums of $100 to $250. Combining several repairs, or pairing repairs with sealcoating, spreads that cost out.

Repair before sealcoating

If you plan to sealcoat, repairs come first. Sealer over a broken patch or an open pothole looks fine for a few weeks and then fails at the same spot. We schedule repairs, let them set, fill cracks and then seal, so everything is done in the right order.