×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Raising level of asphalt driveway

Raising level of asphalt driveway

Raising level of asphalt driveway

(OP)
I need to raise the grade on an asphalt driveway approximately 2 feet.  The driveway is 100 feet in length and slopes down at about 17 degrees.  Can I crush the existing asphalt and use the crushed material as a base with an additional 2 feet of 3/4" angled crushed stone.  I would like to leave the asphalt in place if possible rather than incur the costs of removal and substitute material.  If this is possible, what is the best method to properly prepare the old asphault with commonly available construction equipment - such as a front loader, backhoe, etc.?

Thanks

RE: Raising level of asphalt driveway

Wow 17 degrees, that's steep, I hope you mean 17 percent (which still is steep but not nearly as bad as 17 degrees/30 percent). As much as you're aising it I don't see why you just can't fill over the existing pavement.  Not steep enough to worry about fill slipping on tha asphalt interface.  Still it would be nice to break it up some, to allow water to pass through if it gets in there.  A backhoe with teeth could break it up though you might ask a contractor.
Depend on material costs you may not have to use all crushed stonefill, if you have pit run gravel available could use that, maybe just 2"- 4" crushed stone under the pavement.
That's my shot at it without knowing other important particulars, such as terrain, climate, available materials, etc.
Carl

That's my

RE: Raising level of asphalt driveway

(OP)
The slope really is 17 degrees - 30 percent.  The driveway is in a hilly area.

RE: Raising level of asphalt driveway

Talk to your local paving contractor.  He may have or be able to rent a "knife edge" paving breaker that could crush the asphalt paving in place.  I hope you are not in snow country, that is one steep driveway.  Shoveling would be bad enough but, trying to drive up it in the winter - whoa!

RE: Raising level of asphalt driveway

(OP)
Very helpful adivce.  The driveway is in sunny San Francisco.  No snow or freezes to speak of.


RE: Raising level of asphalt driveway

You would do well to plot the intersection of the driveway and street on graph paper and cut a model of an automobile and see if the the bumpers will drag.  Subtract the crown of the street(usually negative value) from the slope of the driveway.  If the value exceeds 15%, you are likely to drag the bumper on a standard size automobile. If you plan on getting a car up the driveway, you may have to go up in stages to avoid bumper dragging.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources