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Asphalt Paving in Altoona

Asphalt Paving in Altoona, Wisconsin.

Asphalt driveways, overlays and small lot paving in Altoona.

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About 8 minutes from central Eau Claire. Free estimates, and a straight read on whether it needs doing yet.

A freshly paved asphalt lot in deep black, running up to a white barn and silo.
9,302 People in Altoona
4.7 Google ratingFrom 18 reviews
2-3 yrs Reseal cycleIn Altoona
400°F Crack fillerDirect-fire rubber

What an Asphalt Paving Job Looks Like in Altoona

The interesting thing about Altoona for pavement is the age gap. The 1970s subdivisions are at the point where their original surfaces are long gone and the question is whether the base is still worth building on. The River Prairie construction is the opposite problem: those drives and lots are new enough that leaving them alone for another year or two is usually the right call.

We get asked to seal brand new asphalt here more than anywhere else, and the answer is usually no, not yet. New asphalt wants six to twelve months to cure first.

Asphalt Paving specifically in Altoona

Overlays on the 1970s subdivisions, where the base was built properly and only the surface has gone. That's the best case a paving quote has, and Altoona has more of it than most. Gravel-to-asphalt conversions come up on the rural edges toward Otter Creek, and those are a different job: the base is the whole expense and the asphalt on top is the cheap part.

The Driveways and Lots in Altoona

Altoona sits immediately east of Eau Claire, close enough that Fairfax Street is most of what separates them. Lake Altoona and the Eau Claire River form the northern edge and Otter Creek the southern one. The US 53 bypass opened in 2006 with an interchange at River Prairie Drive, and essentially everything new in town has been built around that interchange since.

Altoona is the youngest town we serve after Lake Hallie, and it's split in two. Only about 12 percent of the housing predates 1960. The 1970s and 1990s each contributed close to a fifth of the stock, and then nearly a quarter has gone up since 2010, almost all of it in and around River Prairie.

It also has the highest share of manufactured housing of the five, close to 10 percent. That's a different kind of drive: often shared, often gravel or thin asphalt, and usually maintained by a community owner rather than a resident.

Where we work in Altoona

  • Downtown Altoona
  • River Prairie
  • East Hill
  • Hillcrest

Around Altoona: Lake Altoona County Park, River Prairie Park, Cinder City Park, The Yard, Otter Creek.

Identical freeze regime to Eau Claire next door, with the 48-inch footing minimum. Lake Altoona and Otter Creek mean the north and south edges of town both sit close to water, and the drives nearest them hold moisture longer in spring.

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 Altoona

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 Altoona

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 Altoona

What Altoona calls us about, answered straight.

More questions answered
We manage a manufactured home community. Do you do shared drives?
Yes, and it's common work in Altoona given how much of the housing here is manufactured. Shared drives and internal roads are quoted like a small commercial lot rather than like a driveway.
How do we know whether our drive is an East Hill one or a River Prairie one?
By its age rather than its address, though in Altoona the two usually agree. The 1970s and 1990s stock on the east side is at the point where the surface is spent and the base underneath is normally still sound, which is the best case sealing has. River Prairie has been going up since 2015, and most of what's there is too young to want anything yet. If you're not sure which one you have, that's what the estimate is for.
The bypass changed the traffic past our lot. Does that show up in the pavement?
It can, and the tell is where rather than how much. The US 53 bypass opened in 2006 and pulled through traffic off the old routes onto the River Prairie Drive interchange, so the newer commercial ground carries the turning and stopping now while the Business 53 side carries the age. Those two wear differently: one ruts and scuffs at the entrances, the other simply gets old.
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 Altoona

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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Other Work We Do in Altoona

Asphalt Paving in Nearby Towns

Everything about asphalt paving, including how the work goes and what changes the price