Asphalt Driveways
We pave new asphalt driveways and turn gravel driveways into asphalt. The ground is graded and the stone base compacted before the hot-mix goes down.
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If your Salem driveway cracks and lifts after every winter, the weather is part of the reason. NOAA's climate normals show about 103 days a year when Salem's low hits 32 degrees or colder. On most of those days, the afternoon high climbs back above freezing. That freeze and thaw is hard on asphalt laid over a thin or soft base.
SIA Paving is an asphalt paving contractor in Sellersburg, and Salem is part of our service area. Here we handle asphalt driveway paving in town and on county roads, plus church and business lots. Asphalt paving in Salem starts below the surface, with grading and a compacted crushed stone base. We look at the job and put the quote in writing, so call or text (812) 913-8411.
Tell us about the driveway, parking lot or private road and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
The USDA soil survey maps most of the ground in and around Salem as Crider silt loam. It is a deep, well-drained silt over limestone. For local roads and streets, the survey rates it very limited, mainly for frost action and low strength. Frost action means the soil heaves as ice forms in it, then loses strength as it thaws.
The survey notes that frost heave and weak, thawing soil damage pavement. Low strength means the silt itself carries weight poorly. So a Salem driveway leans on its base. We grade the ground and compact crushed stone before the hot-mix asphalt goes down.
Low ground by the creeks is a different case. Along Brock Creek and the West Fork Blue River, the survey maps Haymond silt loam, a frequently flooded soil. FEMA's flood maps put those creek bottoms inside Salem in Zone AE, a special flood hazard area.
Salem dates to 1814, and much of its housing is older. By the Census Bureau's survey estimates, about two in three homes in the city were built before 1980. Nearly one in four went up before 1940. Only about 4 percent were built in 2010 or later.
An older house may come with an older driveway: a gravel pad, or asphalt patched more times than anyone remembers. If the base under old asphalt is still sound, asphalt resurfacing puts a new surface on top of it. Where a new layer would sit too high at the garage or the street, we mill the old asphalt first.
Soft spots and cracks in a web pattern usually mean the base has failed. Then an overlay is the wrong fix, and the driveway needs a new base under new asphalt. On Salem's silt, that rebuild starts with the same graded, compacted stone base as a new driveway.
A Salem mailing address can sit miles outside the city. By Census maps, the 47167 ZIP area spans about 213 square miles of land, and the city about 4. Salem's building permit page notes that a Salem address can fall under Washington County's planning instead.
Washington County's highway department keeps up about 800 miles of road outside the cities and towns. A new driveway onto one of those roads needs the department's driveway permit, and so does an extension. The department hands out flags to mark the spot, then checks sight distance and decides if a culvert is needed. Without that permit, the county will not take a building permit application or assign a 911 address.
A lane shared by several homes needs the same groundwork as a driveway, only longer. Our private road paving starts with grading and a compacted stone base, then the hot-mix asphalt.
It depends on the road the driveway meets. Inside the city, Salem's code requires a written permit before anyone digs in a street's right-of-way. The Board of Public Works and Safety issues it. The code says that covers building a private driveway onto the street.
On State Roads 56, 60, 135 and 160, INDOT issues the driveway permit. The Office of Building and Safety handles building work in the city and its annex area, about 2 miles out. Outside that area, the question goes to Washington County's building office.
One more city rule touches bigger jobs. Salem's erosion control rules cover grading that disturbs 10,000 square feet or more. That work needs an approved erosion control plan first. A new church or business lot can reach that size, so check with the city before parking lot paving starts.
Communities and areas we serve around Salem: Salem Town Square, Salem Downtown Historic District, Fair Acres, Martin Heights, McCol Place, John Hay Center, DePauw Park, Salem Community Park, Lake Salinda, John Hay Lake, State Road 56, State Road 60.
Salem ZIP codes served: 47167.
Salem is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
(812) 913-8411 We pave new asphalt driveways and turn gravel driveways into asphalt. The ground is graded and the stone base compacted before the hot-mix goes down.
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New asphalt parking lots and repaving for churches and businesses. We stripe the lots we pave as part of the job.
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We pave private roads and subdivision streets in hot-mix asphalt. Base prep and grading come first, so the finished road sheds water.
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Asphalt resurfacing lays new hot-mix asphalt over pavement that is worn on top but sound below. We resurface driveways, parking lots and private roads around Sellersburg.
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We mill worn asphalt off before an overlay or a full repave. Our two 40-inch skid steer planers handle edges and driveways, and big lots get a large milling machine.
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Sealcoating for asphalt driveways and parking lots around Sellersburg. We look at the surface first and put the quote in writing.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Salem. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us about the job and the town it is in. Call or text (812) 913-8411, or send the form, and we will set a time to look at it.
Tell us about the driveway, parking lot or private road and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.