Asphalt Paving in Toms River, NJ

Asphalt paving in Toms River starts with sand. Most of the township's mainland neighborhoods sit on the edge of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, where the soil is the sandy, acidic material locals call sugar sand. Sand drains well, which is good for asphalt, but loose sand also moves. If the stone base under a blacktop driveway is thin or poorly compacted, the sand shifts under the edges and the tire paths, and the driveway sags and cracks. Along Barnegat Bay and the lagoons, the problem flips: low lots, high groundwater and fill that settles. We build each driveway for the ground it sits on.

The base comes first

HomeGuide's cost guide describes the usual residential section as 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel, with more of both for driveways that carry trucks, boats or campers. On sand we focus on confinement and compaction, so the base cannot spread sideways. On wet bayside lots we may go deeper and build up the grade so water runs off instead of sitting under the pavement.

Winters here are real winters

Toms River's records show an average January low of about 22 degrees, almost 24 inches of snow a year and nearly 50 inches of total precipitation, with a record low of minus 24 in January 1988. Every freeze widens a crack that holds water, and plows and salt are hard on edges. Crack sealing before winter and a sealcoat every few years are what keep a driveway from breaking up early.

Sealcoating is the most-searched service in town

More Toms River homeowners search for driveway sealcoating than for any other paving service, and for good reason: sun, salt air and freeze-thaw all dry out asphalt. A sealcoat applied to clean, crack-filled asphalt in dry weather slows that down. HomeGuide puts typical driveway sealing at $1 to $2 per square foot and recommends waiting 3 to 6 months after new paving before the first coat.

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After Sandy

Hurricane Sandy hit Ocean County harder than anywhere else in New Jersey: FEMA counted more than 40,000 of the state's roughly 72,000 damaged homes and businesses here, and Silverton and downtown Toms River had their worst flooding ever. Many homes near the bay have since been raised, and their driveways now run under or beside the house to a new grade. Those driveways need careful slopes, firm edges and a plan for where floodwater and rain go.

Who owns the road out front

Toms River has about 454 miles of roads. Most are township streets, but Ocean County maintains about 72 miles and NJDOT about 24, including routes like 37, 166 and 9. Work at the apron or curb follows whichever agency owns the road, and in 55-plus and HOA communities the association often has its own rules. We sort that out at the estimate.

What a typical driveway job includes

• Measuring and checking drainage, soil and the apron
• Removing old blacktop or concrete and hauling it away
• Grading and compacting a stone base
• Placing and rolling hot-mix asphalt to the thickness in your quote
• Finishing edges, including Belgian block if you want it
• Leaving care instructions and a date for the first sealcoat

We work across Toms River, from North Dover and Silverton to Gilford Park, Pleasant Plains and the barrier island beaches, and through the rest of Ocean County: Brick, Lakewood, Jackson, Manchester, Lakehurst, Berkeley and Holiday City, Beachwood, Pine Beach, South Toms River, Ocean Gate, Island Heights, Lacey and Barnegat, plus Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park on the shore, and Howell just over the Monmouth County line. Sandy inland soil, wet bayfront lots, adult communities and summer homes each need something different, and the town pages explain what.