Asphalt Paving in Pittsburgh, PA

Asphalt paving in Pittsburgh is shaped by the ground more than anything else. The city sits on the Allegheny Plateau, its elevation runs from about 710 feet at the rivers to 1,370 feet at its highest point, and Wikipedia notes that many of its 90 neighborhoods are steeply sloped with two-lane roads. Pittsburgh counted 302,971 people at the 2020 census, well below its 1950 peak of 676,806, which means most of the housing here was built long before modern base standards. We pave new driveways and parking pads, resurface tired ones, patch and crack-seal, sealcoat, and pave and stripe small commercial lots.

Steep driveways need a different plan

A flat suburban driveway forgives a lot. A Pittsburgh driveway that drops from the street to a tuck-under garage, or climbs from an alley to a back pad, does not. On a grade, water runs down the surface instead of off the side, and any low spot or open crack becomes a channel. We pay close attention to three things on sloped work: a compacted stone base thick enough not to creep downhill, a surface course rolled tight so it sheds water, and a clear path for runoff at the bottom, whether that is a trench drain at the garage, a swale to the side, or a tie-in to the curb line.

We also look at the transition points. Where a steep driveway meets the street apron, the asphalt takes the most turning and braking force, and that is usually where it breaks up first. Building that section a little heavier is cheaper than patching it every spring.

Freeze and thaw, then the rain

Wikipedia's climate table for the city lists about 39.61 inches of precipitation and 44.1 inches of snow in an average year, with a January mean low of 21.4 degrees. That combination means water gets into cracks in the fall, freezes, expands, and pries the pavement apart through the winter. By March the potholes show up. The city's own runoff problem is well known: its combined sewer system dates to the early 1900s, and even light rain sends runoff to the rivers. Keeping water off and out of your pavement is the single most useful thing a paving job can do, so we pitch every surface and seal cracks before the cold sets in.

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Curb cuts and DOMI permits

If your project creates or changes a curb cut, the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure has a two-step process. Every new curb cut starts with a Building and Development Application, where DOMI reviews the location and design. Then a Curb Cut Sub-Permit is issued through OneStopPGH before any work starts in the right-of-way, and DOMI inspects the work. The city's guidance lists a residential curb cut maximum of 8 feet wide, or 16 feet where the lot has 40 feet of frontage, and 24 feet for commercial driveways, if site conditions allow. We plan the driveway to those limits from the start so the paving and the permit match.

Old blocks, alleys and parking pads

On older blocks in the East End, the South Side Slopes and the North Side, many homes have no driveway at all, just a rear parking pad off an alley or a short pad cut into the front hill. These small jobs are some of the most common we do in the city. They often sit on fill dirt or old brick and cinder, so we dig out soft material and rebuild the base before laying new asphalt. For shared alleys and rear lots, we can coordinate timing with neighbors so nobody is blocked in longer than needed.

Small business lots

Corner stores, churches, clinics and walk-up buildings often have a small lot squeezed between buildings or stepped into a hillside. We patch failed areas, mill and overlay where the base is sound, sealcoat, and restripe with the accessible spaces laid out correctly. Work can be phased in sections so you keep some parking open. Call (412) 796-9361 to set up a visit anywhere in the city.