Asphalt Paving in Grand Rapids, MI

Asphalt paving in Grand Rapids is a winter problem that gets solved in summer. The city averages about 75 inches of snow a year, a lot of it lake-effect, and the temperature falls below freezing on roughly 138 nights. January's average high is 31 degrees and its average low is under 19, so meltwater freezes and thaws over and over in every crack and low spot. An asphalt driveway that drains well, sits on enough compacted gravel and gets its cracks sealed before November can handle that for decades. One that holds water will not.

Start with the base

The black surface is only a few inches thick. Cost guides describe a typical residential asphalt driveway as 2 to 3 inches of compacted hot mix over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel, with more of both for driveways that carry trucks, trailers or a boat. What lies under the gravel matters too. Grand Rapids sits in a flat, narrow stretch of the Grand River valley with steep hills and bluffs on either side, so ground conditions can change from one street to the next. When we find soft or saturated subgrade, we dig it out and replace it with compacted stone before any asphalt is ordered. That step adds cost, and it is the step that keeps a new driveway from cracking in its first spring.

Water, frost and the plow

Most of the damage we see on older Grand Rapids driveways has three causes:

• Water under the pavement. Downspouts that empty onto the drive, low spots that pond, and edges that let water into the base.
• Frost. Water in the base freezes, expands and lifts the asphalt, then leaves a void when it thaws. That is how potholes start.
• Snow removal. Plow blades and snowblowers chip unsupported edges, and salt brine soaks into open cracks all winter.

A new driveway should be pitched so water leaves it, with edges backed by soil and grass so they do not hang in the air. On existing driveways, filling cracks every fall and sealcoating every few years slows all three.

When to pave

Hot asphalt has to be compacted while it is still workable, and cold ground pulls heat out of it fast. Grand Rapids' average last spring frost is around May 1 and the first fall frost comes around October 11, so new driveways and overlays are best placed from late spring through early fall. Sealcoating needs dry weather between about 50 and 95 degrees and a day or more to cure, so it fits the warmer months as well. Crack sealing and small hot-mix patches can run later into the fall when the weather cooperates. In winter we can look at a job, measure it and give you a quote so it is on the schedule early.

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Approaches, sidewalks and permits

In Grand Rapids, the driveway approach between the sidewalk and the street is in the public right-of-way. The city requires a Sidewalk/Drive Approach Permit to build, rebuild, remove or repair it, and only a holder of the city's Sidewalk Builder's License can pull that permit. The permit fee is $75 for a one- or two-unit home with less than 200 square feet of concrete work and $175 above that, and the permit is good for 60 days. A brand-new driveway or curb cut may need additional review. Your driveway on private property is a separate matter, but where the two meet, we plan the joint so the asphalt meets the approach cleanly, and we tell you at the estimate whether your project reaches the right-of-way at all.

Outside the city, rules depend on who owns the road. The Kent County Road Commission requires a permit for any work in a county road right-of-way, including residential driveways, and the Ottawa County Road Commission requires one to construct, reconstruct, surface or resurface a driveway onto its roads. Cities such as Wyoming, Walker and East Grand Rapids have their own right-of-way permits. We check which applies to your address.

Repair, overlay or replace?

Not every tired driveway needs to be torn out. HomeGuide's repair guide suggests repairing or resurfacing when less than about a quarter of the surface is damaged, the asphalt is under 15 to 20 years old and the base is still stable. Replacement makes more sense when cracking covers most of the surface, potholes keep coming back, the driveway is 20 to 30 years old, or water problems never go away. At the estimate we tell you which camp your driveway is in and why, and if a cheaper fix will do the job, we say so.

We work in Grand Rapids and across the Kent County suburbs and townships: Wyoming, Kentwood, Walker, Grandville, East Grand Rapids, Rockford, Lowell, Cascade, Ada, Plainfield, Alpine, Gaines, Byron Center, Caledonia and the communities north to Cedar Springs and Sparta. We also cover the Ottawa County side, including Jenison, Hudsonville, Allendale, Coopersville and Holland.

What changes from place to place is mostly who controls the road in front of you. Inside Grand Rapids, approach work needs a city permit pulled by a licensed sidewalk builder. In the townships, the Kent or Ottawa County Road Commission covers driveways that meet county roads. Lakeside and riverside properties can trigger soil erosion rules. Each town page below covers what we found for that community.