Asphalt Paving in Portland, OR

Asphalt paving in Portland is shaped by two things more than anything else: a long wet season and a city that wants a permit any time a driveway changes. Portland counted 652,503 residents in the 2020 census and sits at the center of a metro area of more than 2.5 million. The Willamette River splits it into an east side and a west side, and the paving jobs on each side look different. We pave new driveways, repair and resurface worn ones, sealcoat, and pave and stripe parking lots for businesses across the city.

Timing the work to the weather

Portland International Airport averages 36.92 inches of precipitation a year on the 1991 to 2020 normals, and downtown averages more. November, December and January are the wettest months, each bringing roughly 5 to 6 inches at the airport, while July and August average only about half an inch. Wikipedia describes the dry season as running from about mid-June to early September. Hot-mix asphalt needs a dry, firm base and a dry surface to bond, and sealcoat needs dry pavement and warm air to cure. So we push full replacements, overlays and sealcoating into the drier months and keep the wet months for estimates, planning, permits and emergency patching.

Heat matters too. The city set its all-time record of 116 degrees on June 28, 2021. Fresh asphalt stays soft longer on days like that, so on a hot-weather job we tell you to keep heavy vehicles and turning tires off the new surface for longer than usual.

Hills, buttes and flat ground

The Tualatin Mountains, known locally as the West Hills, rise along the northwest and southwest edges of the city. Driveways there are often steep and curving, and water runs down them fast. On those jobs we pay close attention to base compaction, edge support and where runoff leaves the pavement. On the east side, the Boring Lava Field is centered in Southeast Portland with more than 32 cinder cones and small shield volcanoes, Mount Tabor among them at 636 feet. Most eastside lots are flatter, which brings the opposite problem: water with nowhere to go. A driveway that is a quarter inch low in the middle will hold a puddle every winter, and standing water is what loosens aggregate and starts potholes.

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What PBOT requires where a driveway meets the street

The Portland Bureau of Transportation says that installing or changing a driveway always requires a permit, even on an alley or a gravel street. Work across the sidewalk and curb in the public right-of-way is permitted separately from work on private property, and each part gets its own inspection. PBOT's driveway rules (TRN-10.40) set a single-width driveway at 9 to 12 feet and a double-width at up to 20 feet, and single-dwelling zones generally get one driveway per lot. If your street is maintained by ODOT, Multnomah County, Washington County or Gresham instead of the city, that agency gets a say as well. When you ask us to widen a driveway, add a second one or move a curb cut, we sort out which permits apply before anything is scheduled. Like-for-like repaving on your own lot is a different conversation, and we explain where the line falls for your job.

Gravel streets and streets without curbs

Portland still has unpaved streets. PBOT counted 55.5 centerline miles in 2021, down from 60.5 miles in 2009, which is about 2.7 percent of the city's streets. The share is far higher in Southwest Portland, where 4.8 percent of streets are unpaved and the Far Southwest neighborhood reaches 13.9 percent. Another 17.3 percent of streets citywide are paved but have no curbs, rising to 40.9 percent in the Southwest coalition area. Paving the public street itself is usually done through a Local Improvement District, where neighbors share the cost. What we can do is pave your private driveway up to where it meets that street, and shape the edge so loose gravel and runoff from the road do not tear it up.

Our six Portland services

• Asphalt driveway paving: new driveways, full tear-outs and replacements, and wider pours where PBOT allows
• Asphalt repair: potholes, sunken spots, broken edges and alligator-cracked sections cut out and rebuilt
• Asphalt resurfacing: overlays on driveways where the base is still sound
• Sealcoating: protective coats on driveways and lots, applied in dry summer weather
• Parking lot paving: new lots, mill and overlay, and patching for businesses, churches and apartment buildings
• Parking lot striping: layouts, restriping and accessible spaces

Before any digging, we request utility locates through Oregon 811, which asks for notice at least two full business days ahead. Call (971) 813-2104 to book a free estimate anywhere in Portland.