Your asphalt driveway is an important part of the overall curb appeal of your property. It also serves a valuable function by giving you access to your garage or allowing your visitors to avoid parking on the street. Unfortunately, you have noticed that your driveway has started to sink, a condition that asphalt contractors refer to as pavement subsidence. There can be many causes of subsidence, including broken or leaking utility lines, poor drainage, improper installation, decomposing materials in the soil, and neglected repairs.
Why Is My Asphalt Driveway Sinking?
How Can Broken or Leaking Utility Lines Cause Asphalt Pavements to Sink?
Depending on your neighborhood, your water main and sewer line may lie under the edge of your street, or it may run under your property along an easement. Either way, these large pipes can allow substantial amounts of water to escape if they become broken, rusted, or otherwise impaired. Subterranean erosion allows the soil to settle, and your driveway can sink.
How Does Poor Drainage Affect Asphalt Driveways?
Soil erosion is not always a hidden problem. Sometimes, the erosion is the result of drainage problems that lie above the ground. For example, if downspouts direct runoff too close to the driveway, the soil beneath and around the driveway can become saturated and subside, or the runoff can undercut the pavement, allowing subsidence to occur.
If a Paving Company Installs an Asphalt Driveway Improperly, Will Subsidence Result?
In some cases, subsidence can result from an asphalt paving company that failed to prepare the base properly. The base is what supports the pavement, so if it is poorly compacted or has inadequate depth, your driveway could sink.
What Types of Decomposing Materials Cause an Asphalt Pavement to Sink?
Asphalt maintenance contractors often find that the driveway was built over soil containing excessive dead or living vegetation. This can include tree roots, stumps, or even scrap lumber. Over time, these materials will decompose, and the soil will settle. Because the process is gradual, it can take many years before the subsidence becomes noticeable.
How Might Neglected Repairs Cause an Asphalt Paving Driveway to Sink?
Many people notice a crack in their asphalt, but they do not think it is important enough to require immediate attention. Unfortunately, small cracks virtually always turn into large breaks if left unrepaired. Cracks let water reach the base and erode it. An eroded, destabilized base cannot properly support the weight of your pavement and your vehicles, so the pavement begins to sink. Initially, the subsidence may manifest as just two or three small depressions in the surface of your pavement. As the base becomes increasingly destabilized, large pavement sections can subside, eventually spreading to your entire driveway.
Trust Alpha Paving for the Asphalt Maintenance Help You Need
Alpha Paving is a full-service concrete and asphalt paving company with our home office in Round Rock. We provide our services, including asphalt crack repairs, concrete repairs, residential paving, concrete installation, and asphalt sealcoating, to customers in most counties in Central Texas. We also offer street maintenance, parking lot striping, asphalt overlays, road construction, parking lot signs, thermoplastic markings, car stops, speed bumps, and asphalt repairs. We are an award-winning company with an impeccable reputation for exemplary craftsmanship, integrity, and superior customer service. You can request a free quote by filling out the online form, or you can call 512-677-9001 if you prefer.