Blacktop Driveway Paving in Toms River, NJ

Blacktop driveway paving covers new driveways and full replacements. Around Toms River, most jobs are replacements: a 1960s or 1970s driveway that has been patched and sealed for decades, a driveway torn up when a house was raised after Sandy, or one that has sunk and cracked along the edges. Replacement is the right call when the surface has spreading cracks, sunken areas, potholes that return or edges breaking away.

Two kinds of ground

Inland, the soil is mostly the sandy, acidic sugar sand of the Pine Barrens. It drains quickly, which asphalt likes, but loose sand moves sideways under load. A good base on sand is thick, well compacted and confined at the edges so it cannot spread. Near the bay and the lagoons, lots are low and the water table is close to the surface. There the job is to build the grade up enough that water leaves the driveway and the base stays drier.

Thickness you can check

HomeGuide's guide gives 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel as the standard residential section, and 3 to 4 inches of asphalt over 8 to 10 inches of base for heavy vehicles. Plenty of shore driveways hold a boat trailer or a camper, so we ask what will park there and write the section into the quote.

Tear-out and haul-away

Old blacktop and concrete are broken up, loaded and hauled away, and the old asphalt is generally recycled. Angi puts remove-and-replace work at about $8 to $15 per square foot, more than a new install on open ground because of the demolition and disposal.

Edges and aprons

Unsupported asphalt edges crumble, especially on sand. Many Toms River homeowners finish driveways with Belgian block along the edges or at the apron, which also gives a clean line against the lawn. Where the driveway meets the road, the apron sits on township, county or state right-of-way depending on the street, and we check which before any work there.

Raised homes

After Sandy, many bayside homes were lifted, and the driveway now climbs to a new garage or runs under the house. Those driveways need a slope that is drivable, a plan for where rain and floodwater go, and edges that will not wash out. We look at the new layout at the estimate and set the grades before paving.

Aftercare

• Stay off for a few days, longer in hot weather
• Avoid turning the wheel while the car is stopped
• Keep trailer jacks and kickstands off for the first weeks
• Plan the first sealcoat 3 to 6 months out