Allentown is a small, walkable borough in the far western corner of Monmouth County, surrounded on all sides by Upper Freehold Township. Its center grew up around a mill on Doctors Creek, and the old homes along Main Street and Church Street still set the tone. Dan The Paver builds and replaces asphalt driveways for Allentown homeowners and paves asphalt parking lots for the churches, small businesses and offices that serve the borough and the farms around it.
Village lots and edge-of-town homes
Inside the historic core, lots are narrow and deep. Driveways are often a single lane squeezed between houses, leading to a garage or a gravel parking area behind the home. Owners here usually want a clean, durable surface that fits the setting without widening anything. Toward the edges of the borough, near Route 526 and the roads heading out toward Route 539, the homes are newer and the drives are wider, with two-car garages and room to turn around.
Both settings call for careful work. In the old center we protect foundations, steps and neighboring property; on the larger lots we often recommend widening a drive or adding a parking pad in asphalt so the whole area matches.
Ground conditions in western Monmouth
Allentown sits on the inner coastal plain, where soils carry more silt and clay than the sandy ground at the shore. That changes how we build. Clay-heavy soil holds water and moves with frost, so we excavate below the topsoil and any soft layer, lay a compacted aggregate base thick enough to bridge it, and set a steady pitch toward the street or a lawn swale. Near Doctors Creek and the millpond, where the water table is higher, we go deeper still. Getting this part right is what lets an asphalt driveway ride through freeze and thaw cycles without heaving.
Commercial and institutional lots
Allentown’s Main Street shops, restaurants and offices share limited parking, and the borough’s churches and community buildings have lots that see heavy weekend use. We handle asphalt parking lot paving for these owners, from milling and repaving tired sections to full replacement of a lot that has lost its base. Work can be phased so a business keeps an entrance open.
Check before you build
Because much of the borough is historic, talk to Allentown’s zoning and construction office before changing a driveway’s size, adding a curb cut or paving over a gravel area. They can tell you about coverage limits and any review that applies. For properties outside the borough line, see our pages on Upper Freehold and Cream Ridge, or the full Monmouth County service list.
Allentown paving questions
Our house is in Allentown's historic center with a narrow shared side drive. Can that be repaved?
Yes. Many homes off Main Street share a drive or have only a single lane between buildings. We measure the usable width, protect foundations and neighboring walls, and use compact equipment that fits the space. If the drive is shared, both owners should agree on the scope before we start, and the borough office can confirm whether any review is needed in the historic district.
Why does the low end of our Allentown driveway stay soft near Doctors Creek?
Ground close to the creek and the old mill pond holds more water, and the soil there often has more silt and clay than the sandy ground farther east in Monmouth County. When that layer stays wet, it pumps up into the base and the asphalt cracks. We remove the soft material, add a deeper compacted base, and grade the drive so water leaves it quickly.
