East Brunswick is a large suburban township in southern Middlesex County, laid out around Route 18, the New Jersey Turnpike and the old roads that once connected farms and mills. Dan The Paver builds and replaces asphalt driveways in its many neighborhoods and repaves asphalt parking lots for its shopping centers, office parks, schools and houses of worship.
Suburban streets and cul-de-sacs
Most of East Brunswick is made up of postwar and later subdivisions: split-levels, bi-levels, ranches and colonials on quarter- to half-acre lots, many arranged around curving streets and cul-de-sacs. Driveways are usually single or double width, leading to attached garages, and many owners eventually want them widened to fit another car.
Older pockets have a different feel. The township’s historic village district has older homes on smaller, irregular lots, and some properties near Farrington Lake and Lawrence Brook have wooded settings and longer drives.
What the ground is like
East Brunswick sits where the inner coastal plain meets sandier ground to the south, so soils vary from sandy loam to pockets of clay. Clay holds water and expands and shrinks with the seasons, which can heave or crack a driveway that has too little base. Sandier lots drain well but need firm compaction.
For an East Brunswick driveway we typically:
- remove the old asphalt and soft or clay-heavy material near the surface
- compact the subgrade
- place and compact a dense-graded aggregate base
- grade for positive drainage toward the street or a lawn edge
- place and roll the asphalt
Lots near Lawrence Brook, Farrington Lake or other low ground get a closer look at the water table before we set base depth.
Cul-de-sac homes have their own quirk: driveways on the bulb of the circle are often pie-shaped and wider at the street than at the garage. We lay out the edges carefully on those lots so the finished drive looks even and the apron lines up with the curb.
Commercial corridors
Route 18 is East Brunswick’s main commercial strip, with Brunswick Square mall, shopping plazas, restaurants, car dealers and office buildings. Route 535, Cranbury Road and Ryders Lane add more plazas, medical offices and churches. These lots need regular milling, base repair and repaving to stay safe and drain properly.
Permits
New curb cuts, wider aprons and added paved area may require approval. Check with the East Brunswick Township construction or zoning office before you enlarge a driveway.
We also work in Milltown and Spotswood. All of our Middlesex towns are on the Middlesex County paving page.
East Brunswick paving questions
The builder driveway on our East Brunswick split-level is cracked and sinking. Repave or replace?
It depends on the base. Many East Brunswick neighborhoods were built quickly, and original drives often have a thin base that has settled. If the cracks are shallow and the drive is still level, milling off the worn top and repaving may work. If it is sinking or breaking into pieces, we recommend removing it, rebuilding the base and paving fresh. We tell you which applies after looking at it.
Our office complex off Route 18 has a lot that ponds after rain. What can you do?
Ponding usually means the grade has shifted or the base has failed in that spot. We find the low areas, mill or remove the surface, rebuild the base where needed and repave with the slope corrected toward the existing drains. Work can be phased so tenants keep most of their parking.
