3 Things That Can Damage Your Asphalt Driveway

A well-built asphalt driveway can serve a household for a long time. But even a good driveway has a few natural enemies, and most of the damage we are called to fix traces back to the same short list. Knowing what they are, and how they do their damage, helps you avoid problems that otherwise sneak up over a few seasons.

Here are the three things that cause the most harm to residential asphalt driveways in New Jersey.

1. Water that gets in and stays

If we could name only one enemy of asphalt, it would be water. Not rain hitting the surface, which a properly pitched driveway sheds easily, but water that gets underneath the asphalt or sits on it for long periods.

Here is how it does its damage. Water seeps into cracks and along unsupported edges and soaks into the aggregate base below. Saturated base loses much of its strength, so the asphalt above it starts to flex under every car. In winter, the trapped water freezes and expands, lifting and loosening the pavement. When it thaws, the surface drops back down a bit weaker. New Jersey sees this cycle many times a year, which is why holes and broken areas seem to appear all at once in late winter.

Common sources of trouble include:

• Downspouts that discharge directly onto the driveway or right beside it.
• Lawn and garden beds that are higher than the asphalt, holding water against the edge.
• Settled spots where puddles form after every storm.
• Snow piles pushed onto the edges, which soak the base for weeks as they melt.

How to limit it: Redirect downspouts onto the lawn, keep soil and mulch below the asphalt’s edge so water can escape, and have widening cracks, holes or crumbling edges looked at promptly, before water has months to work into the base.

2. Heavy and concentrated loads

Asphalt is strong, but it is a flexible pavement designed for cars and light trucks spread across four tires. Problems start when a lot of weight is concentrated in a small area, or when vehicles much heavier than normal use the driveway.

Typical offenders are moving trucks, oil delivery and septic trucks, landscaping trailers, roll-off dumpsters, and RVs or boats parked in one place for months. Sharp-footed items do damage too: trailer jacks, kickstands, ladders, and the metal feet on a dumpster can all punch into the surface, especially on a hot summer afternoon when asphalt is at its softest.

Edges deserve special mention. Driving with one wheel off the side, or swinging wide onto the lawn, breaks down the unsupported edge little by little.

How to limit it: Place a piece of plywood under trailer jacks, kickstands and dumpster feet. Ask delivery drivers to stay on the main part of the driveway. If you regularly park a heavy vehicle, talk to your contractor about a thicker section or extra base where it sits. And if the driveway is so narrow that cars keep driving off the edge, widening it may solve the problem for good.

3. Gasoline, oil and other automotive fluids

Asphalt binder is a petroleum product, and petroleum-based fluids soften it. A small, occasional drip is not a big concern. But a car that leaks oil in the same spot for months, a gas can that tips over, or a lawn mower refueled on the driveway can leave a soft, stained area that breaks down faster than the rest of the surface. Transmission fluid, power steering fluid and some solvents cause similar damage.

How to limit it: Fix leaks at the source when you can. Keep a drip pan or mat under a vehicle that is known to leak. When a spill happens, soak it up right away with an absorbent such as cat litter, then sweep it up and wash the area with a mild detergent and water. Refuel mowers and equipment on the lawn or on a tarp, not on the asphalt.

When damage has already happened

If one of these has already taken its toll, the right fix depends on how deep the damage goes. Surface stains and small softened spots can sometimes be left alone; failed base and broken areas need to be cut out and rebuilt. When most of the driveway is affected, new asphalt driveway paving with a properly built base is usually the better long-term answer.

For more on the causes of pavement failure, read why your asphalt pavement might sustain damage. For simple year-round habits, see our 4 ways to maintain your asphalt driveway.