Asphalt Paving in Alpine Township, MI

Asphalt paving in Alpine Township is simpler on paper than in many places. The Alpine Township Building Department lists sidewalks and driveways among projects that typically do not need a permit, alongside landscaping and small sheds. The township does require any contractor doing work over $600 to hold a Michigan state license. And where your driveway meets a county road, the Kent County Road Commission still requires a permit for any work in its right-of-way, including residential driveways.

A big township with several communities

Alpine Township covers about 36 square miles and includes Alpine along M-37, Englishville on the Sparta Township line and Comstock Park in the southeast corner. It had 14,079 residents in 2020. It was organized in 1847, named for its pine trees, and became a lumbering area with several sawmills. Today it mixes subdivisions, orchards and farms, so we pave everything from cul-de-sac driveways to long country lanes.

Gravel lanes

On rural parcels, a gravel drive can be paved in stages: the section nearest the house first, the rest later. We regrade the existing stone, add aggregate where it has thinned, crown the surface so water runs off, and back the edges with soil. Lanes that carry farm trucks, trailers or delivery vehicles get a thicker build.

Weather history

The township was hit by a tornado in the 1965 Palm Sunday outbreak. Today the bigger threat to pavement is more ordinary: around 138 freezing nights a year in the Grand Rapids area and the lake-effect snow that comes with them. Fall crack sealing is the single best thing you can do for an existing drive.

What we check at the estimate

• Whether your drive meets a county road, a state highway such as M-37, or a private road
• Where water flows across and off the drive
• Base condition and soft spots
• Width and turning room for the vehicles you use

Driveways off M-37

Homes and businesses along M-37 connect to a state highway, where MDOT has jurisdiction over the right-of-way. Driveways off county roads fall under the Kent County Road Commission. Either way, approach work needs a permit from whoever owns the road, and we sort that out before scheduling.

Costs

National cost guides list new asphalt driveways at about $5 to $12 or more per square foot, with 1,000-square-foot drives around $5,000 to $12,000 in HomeGuide's figures. Rural lanes are priced by area, base work and access. The written estimate sets the price.

Upkeep for paved drives

Once a drive is paved, fall crack sealing and a sealcoat every few years are the cheapest ways to keep it in shape. Edges on rural drives fail first, so keep soil backed up against them and mark them before winter so plows stay on the asphalt.

Timing

We pave from late spring through early fall, when the ground is firm and warm enough to compact hot mix. Quotes are free year-round.

Repairs

If your drive has a few potholes or broken edges, we cut them out to solid pavement, rebuild the base and patch with hot mix, rather than filling them with cold patch that comes back out in spring.

Call (616) 984-1897 for a free Alpine Township estimate.