Asphalt Paving in Ontario, CA

Asphalt paving in Ontario, California has to survive a different kind of weather than most of the country. Freezing is rare here; the January average low is about 45 degrees. The hard part is summer. Ontario's average July high is 93.8 degrees, the city has recorded 118, and the Santa Ana winds blow hot, dry air through the valley in fall and winter. As paving contractors working across Ontario and the surrounding cities, we build driveways and parking lots for that sun, and for the truck traffic that comes with living next to a major freight airport.

Why heat matters to asphalt

Asphalt is stone held together by a petroleum binder, and that binder softens as it warms. The EPA cites an Arizona study in which conventional paving reached surface temperatures of up to 152 degrees at mid-day. Soft asphalt marks easily: tires that turn in place leave scuffs, parked trucks leave dents, and heavy wheels that follow the same path press ruts into the surface. Over the years, sun and oxygen also dry out the binder, turning black pavement gray and brittle until small stones start to come loose. The answer is a combination of enough thickness, a firm base underneath, and a sealcoat schedule that keeps the surface protected.

The ground under Ontario

Much of Ontario sits on sandy, rocky alluvial ground washed down from the San Gabriel Mountains. Early citrus growers used that rocky soil for their groves. Parts of the area, from Colton west to Ontario and Chino, are underlain by the Delhi series of fine, windblown sand. These soils drain well, which is good news for pavement, but loose sand has to be compacted properly and confined by a good aggregate base or it shifts under load. We check the subgrade on every job and replace soft or loose areas before new asphalt goes down.

Thickness and base

HomeGuide's cost guide describes a typical residential driveway as 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel base, with 3 to 4 inches over 8 to 10 inches of base for heavier vehicles and 4 inches or more for commercial lots. Ontario homes average 3.34 people per household according to the Census, and many driveways carry three or four cars, a work truck or a trailer. We match the section to the load, and the quote states both depths in writing.

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Timing the work

Hot-mix asphalt has to be placed and rolled while it is still hot enough to compact. In the cooler months that window is short, and in midsummer the challenge flips: fresh pavement stays soft for longer, so traffic has to stay off it until it cools. We schedule around the heat of the day, keep cars off new work until it has set, and wait the recommended months before sealcoating so the surface can cure.

Dust, cleanup and the street

Ontario is in the South Coast air district, where Rule 403 bars visible dust from crossing the property line and limits dirt tracked onto a paved road to less than 25 feet, cleaned up by the end of the day. We water down grading work, sweep the street and keep the work area tidy. If your project reaches the driveway approach or curb in the public right-of-way, we check the City of Ontario's current requirements before the job is scheduled.

What a typical driveway job includes

• Measuring the area and checking slope, drainage and the curb apron
• Removing old asphalt, concrete or gravel and hauling it away
• Replacing soft or loose subgrade and compacting new aggregate base
• Placing and rolling hot-mix asphalt to the thickness in your quote
• Finishing edges and transitions at the garage, sidewalk and street
• Telling you when to drive on it and when it can be sealed

Ontario is home base. We also work in Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Montclair, Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Rialto, Colton and Bloomington on the San Bernardino County side; Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco, Corona and Riverside in Riverside County; and Pomona, Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas, Diamond Bar and Walnut in eastern Los Angeles County. The ground changes a lot across that area: sandy alluvial fans below the San Gabriels, former dairy land in the Chino basin, hillside streets in Chino Hills and Diamond Bar, and horse properties in Norco. Each city and county also sets its own rules for work in the public right-of-way. The town pages explain what is different about each place.