Drainage is always a concern for asphalt paving contractors, it has to be right! Puddles of water on your driveway are unattractive, but they can also increase your risk of falls and have the potential to damage your pavement. Asphalt is an extremely durable pavement, but like all asphalt pavement, it can develop small cracks. These cracks can allow water to penetrate the pavement and erode its base, leading more extensive damage. The longer that water is allowed to remain on the pavement, the greater the risk that water will find its way through a crack.

Asphalt contractors evaluate every site individually to determine how to best address drainage issues. There can be many different factors that must be examined before finalizing a plan, but here are the ones that are most common.

• Terrain: One drainage issue that can arise concerns the “lay of the land.” A driveway that is located at the foot of a steep hill, for example, will often need to be protected from runoff through the use of driveway curbs. A residential driveway that must descend from the street to a structure located at a lower elevation might need to have trench drains installed to make sure that water does not drain into the structure.
• Rise: Looking from the point where the driveway meets the street to the point where the driveway ends on your property, you may notice a change in elevation. In some instances, the change may be several feet, but in other cases, the change can be measured in inches. At minimum, the pavement should have a gradual, evenly distributed rise of approximately 2 percent. For a driveway that is 20 feet long, the rise would be 4.8 inches, or (20 x 12) x 0.02. Again, this is the minimum suggested rise; your site might require a greater rise.
• Horizontal Slope: In many instances, it is advisable to grade a driveway so that one edge is slightly higher than the other. Normally, the differential is as little as 2 percent, which would be 2.4 inches for a driveway that is 10 feet wide.

A professionally installed and properly maintained driveway should provide you with many years of service. One of the best ways to ensure that your driveway will be installed correctly is to engage a reputable asphalt contractor.

At B&E Coating Services, we have built our reputation on the quality of our work. We specialize in blacktop repair and maintaining asphalt surfaces, providing asphalt sealing, infrared asphalt patching, and comprehensive asphalt maintenance services to customers throughout Michigan. Call our Newaygo asphalt contactors at 989-352-7305 to request your free quote, or send us your information by submitting our online form.