Country Lore: A Recycled Driveway

Use recycled asphalt to pave a new driveway.

February/March 2008
By Greg Schuetz 
recycled driveway
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Recycled asphalt makes a firm driveway surface. 
GREG SCHUETZ
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Our driveway is made of crushed asphalt, recycled from material being replaced on Interstate 70. A local construction company, who procured the crushed asphalt, delivered it to our building site. They spread it and packed it down with a motor grader. Then all the construction trucks drove on it, packing it down, while they were building our house.

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The asphalt is 6 to 8 inches thick. It costs the same as crushed rock, but we were able to use less of it, so ultimately it was less expensive. We’re very pleased with the firm surface of the driveway.

Greg Schuetz
Paxico, Kansas

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  • spence 2/3/2009 10:45:04 AM

    I have seen this material used for lightly used private roads and driveways in my area. When I tried to get a contractor to give me a quote on grading my drive with it, he recommended against using it saying that there were environmental concerns. I'm not able to find any reference to that aspect of the material online.

    The explanation he gave me was that when the asphalt was originally laid down, it solidified upon cooling. The surface was impervious to water, thereby locking in the toxins used to bind the material. When the material is milled, then re-laid, the porous surface allows water penetration, thereby permitting the petroleum products to leach into the groundwater. He said this was the same effect that macadam had. The use of that road surface has been discontinued in this area.

    Does any of this sound reasonable? I was a little concerned about the costs of remediation if somewhere down the line it became an issue. My other option is using gravel, but I know that will require a lot of maintenance because of rutting.

  • spence 2/3/2009 10:32:53 AM

    I have seen this material used for lightly used private roads and driveways in my area. When I tried to get a contractor to give me a quote on grading my drive with it, he recommended against using it saying that there were environmental concerns. I'm not able to find any reference to that aspect of the material online.

    The explanation he gave me was that when the asphalt was originally laid down, it solidified upon cooling. The surface was impervious to water, thereby locking in the toxins used to bind the material. When the material is milled, then re-laid, the porous surface allows water penetration, thereby permitting the petroleum products to leach into the groundwater. He said this was the same effect that macadam had. The use of that road surface has been discontinued in this area.

    Does any of this sound reasonable? I was a little concerned about the costs of remediation if somewhere down the line it became an issue. My other option is using gravel, but I know that will require a lot of maintenance because of rutting.

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