Asphalt Paving Contractor in Allentown, PA

What Lies Under an Allentown Driveway?

The NRCS soil survey puts the largest share of Allentown in the Urban land-Duffield complex. That means ground mostly under buildings and pavement, with Duffield soil in between. Duffield soils are deep, well drained silt loams that formed from limestone bedrock. Washington silt loam, also mapped here, occurs in limestone valleys, often with shallow, closed depressions.

Pennsylvania's Bureau of Geological Survey says karst, the landscape of sinkholes and caves, is common over limestone. It says water can flush soil out of cracks in the rock and open a sinkhole. The city's stormwater ordinance keeps new stormwater facilities a set distance from sinkholes and similar features to lower that risk. The airport averages about 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year, so runoff needs a planned path.

NRCS rates about two thirds of the city's mapped soil very limited for local roads and streets. For Duffield soil, the reasons include low strength and frost action, which is why a firm stone base matters here. Small holes and cracks over a firm base are asphalt patching and repair work. A spot that keeps sinking needs a closer look before any patch goes on.

Older Homes and Attached Houses Across Allentown

Allentown is Pennsylvania's third-largest city, with 125,845 people in the 2020 Census. That is up from 118,032 in 2010. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey puts the median year built for its homes at 1952. About 38 percent of homes went up in 1939 or earlier, and fewer than 5 percent date from 2010 on.

Attached houses, such as row homes and twins, are the most common type, at about 36 percent of homes. Detached houses make up about 26 percent. With so few new homes, most driveway work here starts with a surface that is already in place.

On an older driveway, the first question is whether the base under the asphalt is still sound. A sound base can take asphalt resurfacing, a new layer over the old one. A failed base shows as sunken ruts and spreading cracks, and it calls for a full replacement. On a row home or twin, the new surface should shed water away from the house next door.

What Does Allentown's City Code Say About Driveways and Sidewalks?

Under city code, owners pay to build and maintain the curbs, sidewalks, ramps and crossovers along their street frontage. A crossover is the stretch of driveway that crosses the sidewalk area to the street. For a home, that stretch may not exceed 30 feet wide unless special conditions dictate. If a sidewalk or curb notice goes unmet for 30 days, the city may fix it and collect the cost.

The code allows a blacktop sidewalk only in nonresidential areas, with the City Engineer's approval. It also bars roof water from draining across a sidewalk in a way that creates a hazard. Drainage devices on or under the sidewalk are the owner's to build and maintain. Work in the right-of-way is subject to inspection by the Bureau of Engineering.

Allentown also bills a yearly stormwater fee on every developed parcel, based on its impervious area. City code counts that area in 500 square foot billing units. A parcel with 250 square feet or more of impervious area counts as developed. A wider driveway or a new parking pad adds impervious area, while resurfacing keeps the same footprint.

Parking Lots and Larger Paving Jobs in Allentown

Allentown's stormwater ordinance treats new driveways and parking lots as regulated activities. It covers the city's parts of the Jordan Creek, Little Lehigh Creek, Monocacy Creek and Lehigh River watersheds. A project that adds 10,000 square feet or less of impervious cover is exempt from preparing a drainage plan. For that test, existing gravel counts as pervious, so paving a large gravel lot can cross the line.

FEMA maps about 9 percent of the city's land in the 100-year floodplain. A lot inside a mapped flood zone is a question for the city before any paving or fill. On an existing lot, parking lot paving often starts with worn drive lanes and low spots that hold water. Where the base is sound, sealcoating and patch work can stretch the time before a full repave.