Asphalt Paving in Des Moines, IA

Asphalt paving in Des Moines starts with an older city. Fort Des Moines was built in May 1843 at the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and the city was incorporated in 1851. The 2020 census counted 214,133 residents. Census figures show 60.5 percent of homes are owner-occupied, with a median owner-occupied value of $194,700, and 84.3 percent of residents lived in the same house a year earlier. Many houses are decades old, and so are their driveways and alley aprons.

Older driveways and alleys

In many Des Moines neighborhoods, garages sit at the back of the lot and are reached by an alley or a long, narrow driveway. These drives have often been patched for decades. When the patches cover most of the surface or the base has given out, replacement is the better value. Access is tight, so we plan equipment carefully and do more by hand.

City approach permits

Des Moines issues permits for residential, commercial and temporary driveway approaches and curb drops, with fees set in the city's schedule. Section 102-361 of the city code also says that where no permanent sidewalk exists at a new permanent approach, a sidewalk section has to be built through the approach unless the city engineer waives it. If your project involves the approach, we factor that in.

Weather and rivers

Des Moines averages 36.5 inches of snow and a January mean low of 13.8 degrees, with a record low of minus 30. The rivers have shaped the city: during the Great Flood of 1993, the Des Moines Water Works was submerged on July 11, leaving about 250,000 people without running water for 12 days, and in June 2008 a major levee breach flooded parts of the city again. On low-lying properties we pay extra attention to drainage and base.

Commercial, church and apartment lots

From downtown and the East Village to neighborhood business districts, Des Moines has many small, heavily used lots. We patch, overlay, seal and restripe them in phases so they stay open, and we design thicker sections where trucks and dumpsters load the pavement.

Our approach

Every job begins with a site visit and a written quote that breaks out removal, base work, thickness and any approach work. We tell you whether repair, resurfacing or replacement makes sense, and why.

Neighborhoods and approaches

In older neighborhoods, many approaches are original concrete with a sidewalk crossing. If you replace an asphalt driveway and leave the approach alone, the right-of-way does not change. If the approach is cracked or you want it wider, it becomes a permitted project. We show you both options and their costs.

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