Question: Maintaining an asphalt drive

[dcg9381]

I've got a property on a "private road" (put in by the developer) that's about 600' or so long. It's shared with 3 other current home owners.
About every year, I get someone that comes to my door soliciting to "seal" the drive for a few thousand. They all pretty much swear they were the original contractor that put it in and without maintenance, it's going to fall apart and come a poor ending.

I'm in Texas, so it doesn't freeze very often. The road has been here for about 6 years, but has had relatively little use for the first 3.

What's the reality on maintaining an asphalt drive?

Our HOA is "defunct" (not funded and control wasn't turned over by the developer) - I'd like to keep it that way! We're probably cooperative enough with the neighbors that most would contribute if maintenance is needed.

 

[ZRX61]

That road is on better condition the new asphalt my city put down last year...

 

[wssix99]

What's the reality on maintaining an asphalt drive?

Look to TXDOT for guidance. They should have a roadway guide published on asphalt maintance. Asphalt pavement is different in different parts of the country. (As you point out, things don't freeze where you are, so you will have a harder asphalt binder than we would have up north.)

Things like promptly filling any cracks with crack filler, making sure people don't speed on the road, (particularly heavy trucks) and keeping the roadway clean should keep it in good shape for a long time.

Many of the "sealing" products people try to sell you are waste products that people invent into a use. Once you seal asphalt, you can never go back. Your roadway is pourous right now and water runs through it. (This helps you get traction when it rains, among other things.)

Sealing the surface will make it look pretty, but once you start down that path, you will need to keep sealing it to avoid slick spots developing and keep it looking good as the sealant wears off. You also loose the porosity of the pavement - this is not a big deal for a driveway, but could be a bigger problem for a bona fide road.

 

[mike93lx]

Roads don't get sealed because they don't need it. People do driveways for cosmetics and use maintenance as an excuse to justify it

 

[Crowbarman55]

As long a BIG heavy trucks don't drive on it, just leave it alone.. As said before, once you seal it you need to keep doing it.
Todd

 

[kbs2244]

follow your local road dept tracks
I would expect yearly crack filling
and repaving as needed

 

[dcg9381]

Thanks, guys.. it's the occasional heavy truck, although I've done my part to bring those around the other side.
Nothing high speed. Sounds like leave it alone and read DOT guidelines.

 

[Dozerhand]

You are quite sure that is hot mix asphalt and not tar and chips?

 

[Juneaudave]

Looks in good shape to me. Honestly....water is probably your biggest enemy at this point. Make sure that you fix any drainage issues (ditches or failed culverts, in example) if they arise and repair any potholes or cracks that could allow damage to the subbase. At some point if the cracking begins to get extensive, consider a chip seal to extend the life. Assuming your get on it before you start seeing structural damage, a properly timed chip seal will extend the service life at a fraction of the cost of repaving.

 

[MeanGene427]

Well, I started paving in NY in 1970, and just retired in 2019, many years as a foreman. Things are indeed different in different areas, I am in the Bay Area CA now. On something like that, water is a killer and shouldn't be going down through that kind of AC, it will soften up the subgrade in the winter and eventually break it up with traffic. Out here on freeways, we would do lower levels of the AC section in non-pervious materials, then a top coat of "open grade" which is very course, designed for the water to flow to the edge through the material- we call it "popcorn". A seal coat every few years will extend the life of your pavement, and there are different types, a spray or "fog" seal that just consists of an oil/water emulsion, and the water evaporates away. A more intensive deal is a "slurry seal" which adds fine aggregate like sand and will fill in minor imperfections. I would contact a local outfit that specializes in sealing and striping, should be easy to research reputations and such and have them look at it

 

[starquestMM]

Trash trucks are a threat to the road and your wallets. Does everyone use the same service? Making sure there is only one truck a cycle is the easiest thing you can do. Consider doing a community dumpster at the main road to keep the trash trucks off all together

 

[MeanGene427]

Yep, garbage trucks are the worst, especially with dumpsters in apartment complexes and such where the asphalt section is only car traffic spec, those trucks tear it up. I fixed a lot of those over the years, you could see right where the trucks went

 

[dcg9381]

Trash trucks are a threat to the road and your wallets. Does everyone use the same service? Making sure there is only one truck a cycle is the easiest thing you can do. Consider doing a community dumpster at the main road to keep the trash trucks off all together

Actually, I lease a commercial dumpster and 2 of the neighbors contribute to that bill monthly. It ends up being less than residential service. The garbage truck uses an "unimproved path", so it's not an issue.

No one wants a community dumpster in front of our neighborhood. Where I have it, the dumpster is behind a gate and relatively out of the way.. It's actually on a neighbors unimproved lot.

 

[dcg9381]

You are quite sure that is hot mix asphalt and not tar and chips?

No, not sure. It's pretty darn hot in Texas and this stuff is not getting loose.

 

[Innovate1]

Interesting discussion. We finally had our 500' long drive done in asphalt last year. The installer said it should get some sort of treatment (sealer?) after a year and then every 5 years after that (If I remember correctly). It was hot mix asphalt. Sounds like some say it is cosmetic and some say it's worth doing...

 

[BombShelter]

I always wondered about the sealer, most asphalt driveways up here barely last over 15 years. I actually like the look of worn asphalt driveways better than new "black" driveways plus the heat the new and coated driveways generate is amazing when the sun is out.