Asphalt Paving in Pittsburgh, PA

Asphalt paving in Pittsburgh is shaped by three things: slope, water and winter. The city climbs from about 710 feet at the rivers to 1,370 feet on its highest ground, more than a quarter of its neighborhood names refer to hills or heights, and many streets are steep two-lane roads. Add close to 40 inches of rain and melted snow a year and about 44 inches of snowfall, and a driveway here gets tested hard. Built for those conditions, asphalt can last decades. Laid thin over a poor base with no plan for water, it starts cracking and breaking at the edges within a few winters.

Freeze, thaw and salt

Asphalt does not usually fail because it is too thin on day one. It fails because water gets in. A crack opens, rain and snowmelt soak into the stone base, and when the temperature drops below freezing that water expands. Pittsburgh winters swing above and below freezing again and again, so the cycle repeats all season. Each round lifts and loosens the pavement a little more, until a crack becomes a pothole and a pothole becomes a failed section. Plows, shovels and de-icing salt then work on the weakened surface.

That is why the small jobs matter. Sealing cracks in the fall, patching failed spots before winter and sealcoating on a regular schedule keep water out of the base. A new driveway is built with the same goal: a compacted crushed-stone base that drains, a dense, well-rolled asphalt mat, and a surface shaped so water runs off instead of sitting.

Steep driveways and hillside lots

A short, steep driveway that drops from the street to a basement garage, or climbs from the road to a house set high on a lot, is ordinary here. On a steep grade the asphalt has to be placed and rolled carefully so it compacts fully and does not shove, the transition at the street has to be smooth enough that cars do not scrape, and the bottom of the drive must not send water against the garage door or the foundation. We check the grade at both ends at the estimate and plan the drainage before we talk about thickness.

Hillsides and water

Pittsburgh's soft, layered hillside soils and shale are known for being unstable when wet. After the record-wet year of 2018, Pittsburgh and the surrounding counties logged more than 200 landslides. Most driveway problems are far smaller than that, but they come from the same source: water that collects and soaks into the slope. Downspouts that empty onto the drive, runoff from the street, and low spots that hold puddles all weaken the base. We point out where a swale, drain, or redirected downspout will protect the new pavement and the ground beside it.

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City streets, borough roads and state highways

Where your driveway meets the road decides whose rules apply. Inside the City of Pittsburgh, a new or changed curb cut starts with a Building and Development Application through the OneStopPGH portal. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) reviews the design and issues a curb cut sub-permit before work begins. DOMI's standard residential curb cut is up to 8 feet wide, or 16 feet where the lot has 40 feet of frontage, if site conditions allow. Outside the city, each borough and township handles its own driveway and curb cut approvals. If your driveway connects to a state highway, constructing or altering it needs a highway occupancy permit from PennDOT. We sort out which applies at the estimate. Before any machine digs or grades, we contact PA One Call (811) at least three business days ahead.

What a new driveway job includes

• Measuring, checking grade at the garage and street, and noting the road connection
• Removing old asphalt, concrete or worn-out gravel
• Digging out soft or wet base and replacing it with compacted crushed stone
• Grading and compacting the stone base to the depth in your quote
• Placing and rolling hot-mix asphalt to the stated compacted thickness
• Smooth transitions at the street, garage slab and walks
• First-season care instructions and a sealcoat timeline

Built to be maintained

No driveway in a freeze-thaw climate is maintenance-free. The difference between one that lasts 15 years and one that lasts 30 is usually what happens after it is paved. We tell you when to sealcoat, what kinds of cracks to watch for, and when a small repair now will save a bigger one later.

We are based in Pittsburgh and work across Allegheny County. In the city itself, many homes sit on steep, narrow lots with short driveways and tight access, and curb cuts go through DOMI. South of the rivers, Mount Lebanon, Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair are mostly established neighborhoods with long-lived driveways due for resurfacing or replacement. East toward Penn Hills, Plum and Monroeville, lots are larger and rolling, with longer driveways and more gravel to convert. North of the city, Ross Township, Shaler and McCandless mix older hillside streets with newer subdivisions. Each borough and township sets its own driveway and curb cut process, and roads such as US 19, PA 51 and PA 8 are state highways where PennDOT rules apply. Each town page below covers what is particular to that community.