Most of the holes and broken edges homeowners discover in March were set up months earlier. Water found a way into the pavement in the fall, and the winter did the rest. The good news is that keeping your asphalt intact through the cold months is mostly about a few steps taken at the right time. Think of it in three stages: before the first freeze, during the storms and after the thaw.
Before the first freeze: October and November
Do a slow walk-around
Pick a dry afternoon and walk the whole driveway or lot. Look for open cracks, crumbling edges, soft or sunken areas, low spots that hold water and places where the surface has broken away. Take photos so you can compare in the spring.
Fix broken areas while it is still warm enough
Hot-mix asphalt needs reasonable temperatures to be placed and compacted properly, so paving work is best scheduled in early to mid fall. A worn driveway that is milled and repaved, with any failed base sections rebuilt, before winter will hold up far better than a temporary fix attempted during a January thaw. Our asphalt milling work is aimed at exactly this kind of problem.
Get water moving away
Water is what turns a cold night into damage. Clean the gutters after the leaves drop. Make sure downspouts are extended and aimed away from the pavement, not onto it. Check that soil along the edges slopes away so meltwater does not pool against the asphalt. Clear leaves and debris out of any drains in a lot.
Support the edges
If the soil along the side of the driveway has washed away, rebuild it so the asphalt edge has something to rest against. Unsupported edges are the first to break when a plow or a heavy truck rides along them.
Mark the edges and obstacles
Driveway markers along the sides help whoever plows know where the pavement ends, so the blade does not ride off and tear up the lawn and edge.
During the storms: December through March
Shovel and plow with care
Use a plastic shovel or one with a rubber edge. If you hire a plow service, ask them to keep the blade slightly raised over the driveway and to avoid dropping it hard on the apron.
Be smart about ice melt
A calcium chloride product used sparingly is generally the better option for asphalt. Shovel first, then apply only what you need to break the bond with the ice. Avoid piling salty snow along the edges where it kills the grass that supports them.
Don’t let meltwater refreeze on the surface
Pile snow where its meltwater will run off the pavement, not across it. A pile at the top of a sloped driveway can send water down the middle every afternoon that freezes into a sheet every night.
After the thaw: March and April
Walk the pavement again and compare it to your fall photos. Note any new holes, widening cracks or areas that moved. Small breaks are straightforward to repair once the weather warms; it is when they sit through a full season that they grow. Our guide on how the winter season affects your asphalt driveway explains what causes each type of damage.
When a driveway is past winter-proofing
If every spring brings a new set of holes, or the surface is cracked in a web-like pattern across large areas, the base underneath has likely failed. More spot repairs will not change that. At that point, rebuilding the driveway with a properly compacted base and good drainage is the longer-lasting fix, and it is what our asphalt driveway paving service is built around. For a quick fall checklist, see our five tips for readying your asphalt for winter.
Need this done right?
Dan The Paver handles asphalt driveway paving across Monmouth, Ocean (Toms River and north) and southern Middlesex counties. Free on-site estimates.