Driveway Paving in Alexandria, VA

Driveway paving is the full job: taking out what is there, fixing the ground underneath and laying new asphalt to a thickness you can see in writing. In Alexandria it is usually a replacement rather than a first-time install, because most homes already have a driveway, often one that has been patched for decades. It is the right choice when the driveway has a web of small cracks in the tire tracks, sunken spots, potholes that return after every winter, or a base so wet that the surface moves when you drive on it.

Short driveways, tight sites

Most driveways inside the Beltway are short. Many run straight from a garage or parking pad down to the sidewalk, some share a side yard with a neighbor, and a lot of them are steep. That shapes the work: smaller equipment, careful staging so trucks do not block the street for long, protection for sidewalks and curbs, and a plan for how the paver and roller get in and out.

Building on Potomac Formation clay

The City's geologic atlas shows the Potomac Formation under most of Alexandria, with areas of unstable clay and expandable soil. Clay like that is firm when dry, weak when soaked and prone to swelling. We open test spots before pricing, dig out anything that is soft or wet, and replace it with compacted crushed stone. HomeGuide describes the usual residential section as 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel under 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt; steep or heavily used driveways may need more.

Getting water off the driveway

On a short, steep driveway, water from the roof, the yard and the driveway itself all head downhill at once. If that water reaches the garage or soaks along the edge, the driveway fails early. We set the surface so water reaches the gutter or a drain, and where the garage sits below the street, we talk through trench drains and grading at the estimate.

The curb cut

The driveway apron and the curb cut sit in the public right-of-way. In Alexandria, Transportation and Environmental Services requires a curb cut application for a new curb cut or a widening of 4 feet or more, with a separate form for smaller widenings. In Fairfax County, where VDOT maintains most streets, private entrances fall under VDOT's entrance rules. Replacing a driveway in the same footprint usually does not change the curb cut; widening it usually does.

After the paving

• Stay off for a few days, longer in summer heat
• Do not turn the wheels while the car is stopped
• Keep jacks, ramps and kickstands off the surface for the first weeks
• Wait 3 to 6 months before the first sealcoat

Fresh asphalt stays slightly soft through its first hot summer, and small scuffs usually even out.