Eau Claire, WI · Northwestern Wisconsin Closed now (715) 450-9897
(715) 450-9897

Asphalt Paving in Eau Claire

Asphalt Paving in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Asphalt driveways, overlays and small lot paving in Eau Claire.

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A freshly paved asphalt lot in deep black, running up to a white barn and silo.
72,331 People in Eau Claire
4.7 Google ratingFrom 18 reviews
2-3 yrs Reseal cycleIn Eau Claire
400°F Crack fillerDirect-fire rubber

What an Asphalt Paving Job Looks Like in Eau Claire

The valley soils along both rivers are sandy outwash, in places tens of feet deep. Sand drains well, which is good, and it also migrates when water is moving through it, which is why so many failures here start at a catch basin or a downspout outlet rather than in the middle of a lot.

The other thing worth knowing about Eau Claire is the grade. A driveway on the Eastside Hill or up toward Putnam Heights sheds water quickly and wears at the bottom; a flat lot down near the confluence holds it. Those two need different answers, and quoting them the same way is how a contractor ends up sealing over a drainage problem.

Asphalt Paving specifically in Eau Claire

Overlays are the common job in the older neighborhoods, where the base was built properly and the surface has simply run out. Full replacement comes up more on 1950s drives that were laid thin to begin with, and on the pre-war stock in the Third Ward and around Randall Park where nobody engineered a base in the first place. On sandy outwash the base is the part of the quote that decides how long the drive lasts, and it's the part that's invisible once the job is done.

The Driveways and Lots in Eau Claire

Eau Claire sits where the Eau Claire River meets the Chippewa, on the northern edge of the Driftless Area. That matters for pavement more than it sounds: the city runs from river flats up steep slopes toward the east and south sides, so grade and drainage vary sharply from one neighborhood to the next. Clairemont Avenue, Hastings Way and the North Crossing carry most of the commercial traffic.

The most mixed stock in the valley. About a third of Eau Claire's houses were built before 1960 and nearly a fifth before 1940, while the single largest cohort is the 1970s at roughly 16 percent of all housing. In practice that means we work on everything here: narrow pre-war drives in the Third Ward and Randall Park, wide 1970s suburban aprons, and new construction on the edges.

It's also a heavy rental market. Close to a fifth of the housing sits in buildings of five units or more, which is why so much of our residential work here is actually small commercial: apartment lots and converted properties around the university.

Where we work in Eau Claire

  • Third Ward
  • Randall Park
  • Eastside Hill
  • North River Fronts
  • North Side Hill
  • Shawtown
  • Putnam Heights
  • Sherman Creek
  • Upper Westside

Around Eau Claire: Carson Park, Phoenix Park, Pablo Center at the Confluence, Banbury Place, Half Moon Lake.

Eau Claire averages 55.4 inches of snow a year against about 33 inches of total precipitation, so snow outweighs rain. Wisconsin's building code sets footings at a minimum of 48 inches below grade for frost, which is a fair proxy for how hard the freeze works on anything above it.

From our jobs

Job Photos

A large freshly paved asphalt lot curving around a landscaped island in front of a low institutional building
A lot repaved, edge to edge
A freshly paved asphalt driveway running up to a three-bay garage, caution tape across the street end
A driveway repaved and taped off to cure

All job photos

Overlay or tear out and replace?

An overlay is new asphalt laid over the old surface. It's roughly half the cost of a replacement, it goes down in a day, and it's the right answer when the existing base is sound and the surface has simply worn out. It's the wrong answer when the base has failed, because an overlay follows the shape of what's underneath. Lay one over a surface that's cracked into squares and those cracks come through the new mat within two or three years, and the overlay only delayed the replacement. That conversation is worth having before the quote, not after.

What Decides the Price in Eau Claire

Asphalt tracks the oil market, so a number from last season is not a number for this one. Every job here is measured on site and the number is fixed before work starts.

Overlay

Per square foot

Measured on site

  • Existing base sound, surface worn out
  • Overlay or full replacement, priced after the base is checked

Tear out and replace

Per square foot

Measured on site

  • Old surface out, base rebuilt, new mat laid and rolled

Gravel to asphalt

Per square foot

Measured on site

  • Common out in the townships, where drives are long
  • Grading and drainage are most of the work and most of the cost

The setup on a long rural drive is spread over more area than on a short town one. If you've been told a long drive is prohibitive, it's worth a second number.

How the Work Goes in Eau Claire

The base is the part you never see and the part that decides everything.

Work out where the water goes

Before anything else. Grade and drainage decide the lifespan, and they're the one thing that can't be fixed later without starting again.

Remove, or prepare what stays

Full replacement means the old surface comes out. An overlay means the existing surface is cleaned, failed areas cut out and patched, and the edges prepared.

Base, graded and compacted

Compacted in lifts to the right depth for what will drive on it. A driveway and a lot that takes delivery trucks need different bases, and building both the same way is how one of them fails early.

Lay and roll

Hot mix laid to the design thickness and rolled while it's hot. Compaction is time-limited, which is why paving is a day that runs to the weather.

Tell you when to seal it

Not this year. New asphalt needs six to twelve months to cure before its first seal, and sealing too early traps the oils and does more harm than leaving it alone.

Booking sealcoating and striping through October · Call (715) 450-9897

Questions We Get in Eau Claire

What Eau Claire calls us about, answered straight.

More questions answered
Do you work on the hills, or only flat driveways?
Both, and they're genuinely different jobs. A steep drive on the Eastside Hill sheds water fast and wears hardest at the bottom where everything collects. On the steepest ones cure time matters more, because sealer needs to sit still while it sets, so plan for the drive to be off limits a little longer.
We manage an apartment building near campus. Is that residential or commercial?
Commercial, and we quote it that way. Around a fifth of Eau Claire's housing is in buildings of five units or more. On apartment lots the bid puts in writing which areas get worked, so the manager can tell residents what to expect.
Why does our 1970s driveway look worn out when the neighbor's 1990s one doesn't?
Because it is worn out on top and probably fine underneath. The 1970s is the single biggest decade in Eau Claire's housing, so there are a lot of drives at exactly the age where the surface has oxidized past its wear layer while the base is still sound. That's the best case sealing has. A 1990s drive simply hasn't got there yet.
How much does a new asphalt driveway cost?
It comes down to three things: the square footage, whether the existing base can be built on or has to come out, and how much of the drive a truck can reach. An overlay over a sound base is the cheapest way to a new surface; a full tear out and replace is the most expensive and is sometimes the only thing that lasts. Asphalt also tracks the oil market, so a number from last season is not a number for this one. We measure it and price it, free either way.
Can I overlay the driveway instead of replacing it?
If the base is sound, yes, and it saves roughly half. If the surface is cracked into squares that flex underfoot, no: the base has failed and those cracks will come through a new overlay within a couple of years.
When can a new driveway be sealed?
Six to twelve months after paving. New asphalt needs to cure and release its lighter oils first, and sealing early traps them. Anyone offering to seal brand new asphalt is telling you something about how they work.
How long does a well-built driveway last?
Fifteen to twenty years if the base was done properly and it gets sealed every two to three years. Without sealing, closer to ten, because oxidation and water take it from the surface down.
Can you pave a gravel driveway?
Yes, and it's common out in the townships. The grading and drainage are most of the job, and the setup on a long drive is spread over more feet.
When can we drive on new asphalt?
Cars after about 24 hours once it has cooled properly, heavy vehicles after several days. In hot weather keep the wheels moving when you turn for the first few weeks, because fresh asphalt scuffs.

Get a Free Estimate in Eau Claire

Tell us what it looks like and we'll come measure it. You get a written price before anything starts.

(715) 450-9897
  • Free on driveways and lots anywhere in the service area
  • A photo of the problem helps, and it can go in the message
  • Surfaces that are not ready yet get told so at the estimate

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