Asphalt Paving in Harlingen, TX

Asphalt paving in Harlingen comes down to dealing with water and clay. Harlingen averages 28.20 inches of rain a year, and September alone averages 5.76 inches. The city sits at just 39 feet above sea level, on flat ground where water takes its time leaving. Underneath, much of Cameron County is heavy clay. Pavement that ignores either one cracks, sinks and potholes within a few seasons. Pavement built for both lasts. That is true for driveway paving on a house lot and for a commercial parking lot alike.

The clay under Cameron County

The Harlingen soil series was first described in Cameron County. The USDA's official description puts its clay content at 60 to 75 percent, rates its permeability as very slow, and notes that cracks in it stay open for 150 to 210 days in most years. Its neighbor, the Raymondville series (also typed in Cameron County), runs 35 to 50 percent clay below the surface, and in dry weather the USDA describes cracks three-quarters of an inch to two inches across reaching roughly three feet down. Soils like these shrink in dry spells and swell when wet, so pavement on them has to bridge that movement.

The answer is base. HomeGuide's cost guide says clay ground may call for extra digging and extra base, and gives the usual layers: for a family driveway, a compacted gravel base of six to eight inches topped with two to three inches of asphalt; for trucks and trailers, eight to ten inches of base and three to four of asphalt; for commercial lots, at least four inches of asphalt. We probe every site, dig out what is soft, and compact the base in layers before paving.

Moving water off flat ground

Nothing in Harlingen drains on its own. A driveway or lot needs a deliberate cross slope toward the street, a swale or an inlet, and the edges need support so water running past them does not undercut the asphalt. We set grades before paving and show you where roof water or sprinklers are soaking the pavement. The City of Harlingen's own engineering team administers the floodplain and uses a drainage study to pick flood-mitigation projects; on private property, the job is making sure your pavement is not part of the problem.

Sun and heat

Harlingen's record high is 108 degrees, and summer sun bakes the surface every day. UV light oxidizes the asphalt binder, which is what turns a black driveway gray and lets small stones loosen. Sealcoating every few years slows that. Fresh asphalt also stays soft in the heat; HomeGuide recommends 3 to 5 days before parking on new asphalt in hot weather. In summer we pave early and leave you plain instructions for the first weeks.

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Permits in Harlingen

The City of Harlingen permit guide lists driveway approaches and curb cuts among the projects that need a permit, says that even work exempt from a building permit may still need right-of-way or curb-cut approval, and requires curb-cut and sidewalk contractors to register with the city each year. If your new driveway ties into an existing approach, the permit question may never come up. If you want the approach widened or a new curb cut, we sort that out before scheduling. Along I-69E (US 77) or I-2 (US 83), new access onto a state highway goes through TxDOT's driveway permit instead.

A typical asphalt driveway, step by step

• Site visit: measurements, slope, drainage and the approach
• Tear-out and haul-off of old asphalt, caliche or concrete
• Soft clay dug out and replaced with compacted base
• Base graded for drainage and compacted in lifts
• Hot-mix asphalt placed and rolled to the quoted thickness
• Edges finished and tied into the garage slab and approach
• Care instructions and a date for the first sealcoat

Harlingen is our base, and we work throughout Cameron County and into Willacy County: San Benito, La Feria, Primera, Combes, Palm Valley, Rio Hondo, Los Fresnos, Santa Rosa, Rancho Viejo, Olmito, Los Indios, Brownsville, Port Isabel, Laguna Vista and South Padre Island to the south and east, and Raymondville, Lyford, Sebastian and Lasara to the north. Coastal towns sit only a few feet above sea level and deal with salt air and storm surge; inland towns sit on heavier farm-country clay; and each city has its own rules for the right-of-way. Outside Harlingen, we check with that city, the county or TxDOT before work that touches the street. Each town page covers what is different there. Paving contractors from Brownsville to Raymondville face the same clay and flat ground, so the questions worth asking any of them are about base depth and slope.