Maintain or Replace? How to Tell Which Your Pavement Needs

The question is about the base, not the surface

Asphalt is a wearing surface over a compacted base that carries the load. Surface problems, oxidation, hairline cracking, faded colour, are maintenance. Base problems, alligator webs, soft spots, sinking, are not.

That distinction decides everything. Sealing a surface over a failed base makes it black for a season and changes nothing underneath.

Signs it is still worth maintaining

Single cracks running through otherwise sound pavement. A gray, oxidized surface with no structural movement. Localized damage in an otherwise solid area. Pavement that is aging rather than failing.

Pavement in this condition responds well and cheaply to a maintenance program, and can stay in service for a long time on crack sealing and periodic surface treatment.

Signs it has gone past it

Interconnected alligator cracking over a meaningful area. Spots that flex or feel soft underfoot. Sections that have sunk relative to the pavement around them. Potholes that keep returning in the same place after patching.

Those are load-bearing failures. They need cutting out and rebuilding, or full replacement, which is paving work. We do not pave, so when we say that, it is not a sales position.

Most properties are a mix

The honest answer is usually that part of your pavement is worth protecting and part of it is not. A useful assessment separates the two rather than giving one verdict for the whole property.

Call (530) 587-4161 and we will walk it and tell you which parts are which, including the parts that are not our work.

Getting a second opinion

If a contractor tells you the whole property needs replacing, it is reasonable to ask which specific areas and why, and to get someone else to look. If a contractor tells you a badly alligatored lot just needs a coat, that is a louder warning.

We are happy to look at pavement somebody else has quoted. Our answer sometimes costs us the job, which is exactly why it is worth having.

More in the pavement guides, the FAQ, and the problem pages. For your community specifically, see the service areas.