Asphalt Paving in Beaumont, TX

Asphalt paving in Beaumont is a drainage job with asphalt on top. The city averages about 65 inches of rain a year under the 1991 to 2020 normals, with September the wettest month at more than 7 inches, and it sits around 16 feet above sea level between the Neches River and Pine Island Bayou. Add a long hurricane season, Harvey's flooding in 2017 and Imelda's in 2019, and it is easy to see why so many local driveways and lots end up rutted and potholed. Pavement that sheds water and rests on a firm base holds up. Pavement that traps water does not, however new it is.

Beaumont clay

Geologists named the Beaumont Formation after this city. It is a thick layer of Pleistocene clay, hundreds of feet deep, that underlies much of the coastal plain. Clays like these hold water, drain slowly, and swell and shrink as they wet and dry. That movement and that water are what break up a thin base. A driveway built here needs enough compacted crushed stone to spread the load and bridge soft spots, and a surface shaped so rain runs off before it soaks in.

What the city expects at the street

The City of Beaumont requires a permit for any construction in the public right-of-way, including driveway approaches and culverts, and a grading permit when work on private property disturbs more than 450 square feet. Its published driveway detail for an asphalt approach calls for 6 inches of compacted crushed limestone base under 2 inches of compacted hot-mix asphalt. Where there is a roadside ditch, the city survey crew sets the culvert grade and confirms the pipe size before a culvert is bought or installed, and inspections are scheduled through 311. The city lists the permit fee at $37 for residential work and $77 for commercial. We work through those steps so your driveway passes inspection the first time.

Heat, sun and timing

August highs average close to 93 degrees, and the record is 108. Strong sun oxidizes asphalt and turns it gray and brittle, and summer heat keeps new pavement soft for weeks. Snow is a rare event: the 3 inches that fell on December 8, 2017 were news. So the season for paving here is long, and what usually stops work is rain on the base, not cold.

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The usual steps on a driveway

• Measure and check how water leaves the lot today
• Pull permits for any work in the right-of-way
• Remove the old surface and haul it off
• Undercut soft clay and replace it with compacted stone
• Set the culvert to the city grade if one is needed
• Place and roll hot-mix asphalt to the thickness in your quote
• Finish edges and explain when to drive on it and when to seal it

We are based in Beaumont and work across Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties: Port Arthur, Nederland, Port Neches and Groves to the south; Orange, West Orange, Bridge City, Pinehurst, Vidor, Rose City and Mauriceville to the east; Lumberton, Silsbee, Kountze and Sour Lake to the north; and Bevil Oaks, China, Nome, Fannett and Hamshire to the west. Coastal towns contend with surge and very low ground, the Hardin County towns sit higher in the pines, and the small cities west of Beaumont run driveway work through Jefferson County Road & Bridge. The town pages explain each one.