Asphalt or concrete driveway?

[Darla]

I want our driveway either paved or finished in concrete. I know it's cheaper to go paved, but my dad says that since we are going to live here forever, we better go with concrete. We have an existing 1/4 mile driveway that is gravel and has been there for 20 years of so. What's the best way to go?

Sorry if I put this in the wrong place.

 

[heehaw]

just had our drive paved:well, last spring when the oil prices where at their highest, thus paid a lot more than it would have been now: looked at concrete, but found i could do the blacktop and refinish or top coat it a couple times for what the concrete cost. good luck, anything you choose will be better than a gravel driveway.
heehaw

 

[Egon]

Asphalt starts deteriorating the minute it is laid down.

Concrete for 1/2 mile would cost some!!

 

[CurlyDave]

Asphalt is somewhat flexible and will work better is there is any minor shifting of the roadbed. Major shifting will mean repairs with either material.

Around here a lot of people go with concrete for the areas where they actually park their cars, since it is more resistant to oil, gas, and other fluid drips or spills, and asphalt for the parts they just drive on. Somehow this hybrid approach makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[Darla]

Thanks. I guess I should have also stated that we also do have several vehicles a day on our driveway that weigh 20k or more. That's where my dad says that an paved driveway won't hold up. He says that it will be mashed low where the tire tracks go and high in the middle, and we'll have to re-seal it annually. I'm no expert by any means on either way, I guess I'm just trying to find the pros and cons of each way. So far, what I do know is that concrete costs more, but supposedly has no real maintenance. The paved method costs less but (possibly?) won't hold up, and requires annual sealing. Right?

 

[cp1969]

20,000 lb vehicles are going to be a little tough on a regular concrete driveway, too, depending upon how many tires that load is spread out over. It is probably going to need to be AT LEAST 6" thick and high strength.

1/4 mile, 10' wide, 6" thick = 245 yards

 

[anthonyk]

that's a lotta concrete, but I'd still get specific, accurate bids on both and do an honest comparison. I would keep this in mind though: the maintenance on the asphalt will be higher than you think. I've learned that the hard way. So, even if the concrete is more initially, it may be far cheaper in the very long haul, if you plan on being there for a while.
If I ever do it again, it'll be at least 4 inch thick, reinforced concrete. The asphalt road into our 6 home subdivision on 143 acres cost us about a hundred grand, but it's less than 3 years old, with only 6 cars a day on average using it, and we're already going to have 50 grand in repairs.
That hurt. The concrete would have been more durable, and cheaper in the long run, in my opinion.

anthony

 

[BBB]

I live in So Louisiana and I had the same choice. Three years ago I had an asphalt drive put in over 6" of crushed limestone. Six months ago I had to pay a dozier to dig up the trash, and now I have a new concrete drive. I did use the old asphalt for fill in another area, so it wasn't a complete loss, and the limestone made an excellent base for the concrete. In any wet,enviroment don't use asphalt. It is too soft to handle any weight.

 

[wushaw]

Concrete will far outlast asphalt. You might as well leave it gravel if you decide to do the asphalt route cheaper an just as much maintence.

 

[BBB]

If you are going to use 4" thick concrete, use 3000#mix and highway mesh for steel re-inforcement. Don't let them tell you fiber in the concrete is just as good.