Asphalt Paving in Ball Ground, GA

Foothill ridges and hard rain in Ball Ground

Ball Ground lies in the upper Piedmont, in a narrow band of land called the Hightower-Jasper Ridge District. Its landforms and rock differ from the country around it. About 2 miles outside the city limits, the McGraw Ford Wildlife Management Area runs along the Etowah River. Lots rise and fall here, so many drives climb or bend to fit the ground.

The weather station in Canton, about 11 road miles south, averages about 56 inches of rain a year. On a slope that rain runs down the drive, and in a low spot it sits. The National Asphalt Pavement Association calls standing water the leading cause of driveway failure.

Where the ground is red clay, it gets slick, ruts under a loaded truck and loses bearing when wet. So the work here starts below the asphalt. We grade so water leaves the drive, then lay the stone base in layers and compact it.

New subdivision driveways and long gravel drives near Ball Ground

Driveway work here splits two ways. In the newer subdivisions, drives are short and the grades are mostly set. The work there is a clean surface, a smooth tie-in at the street and a flush edge at the garage.

A brand new house can mean a wait. Asphalt industry guidance says fill areas around new homes are prone to settle. In some cases it is wise to wait a few months before the driveway goes in.

Farther out, on acreage toward Nelson, Keithsburg or Macedonia, drives often run long. A gravel drive on a slope washes out in a hard rain, and the ruts come back. Gravel drives of 1,000 feet and more are the kind of job we take on. Paving one starts with shaping the drive and setting pipe under it where water crosses.

On a long farm lane with light traffic, tar and chip is worth pricing next to hot mix. For an ordinary home driveway, asphalt industry guidance calls for a 2-inch bottom course under a 1.5-inch surface course. It says 6 to 8 inches of crushed stone base is usually enough under that. Your estimate spells out the thickness, the base work and the square footage for your job.

Parking lots and private roads in and around town

Interstate 575 reaches town at exit 27, inside the city limits on Howell Bridge Road. It is the last northbound exit before the interstate ends. For businesses and churches around Ball Ground, we pave new lots and replace failed ones. We also add on when a lot needs more room.

When the doors need to stay open, we plan the parking lot paving in phases with you. Truck lanes and dumpster pads get a heavier section than the car stalls. The lot gets graded so water runs off it, and striping follows once the asphalt cools. When a lot is restriped, the Justice Department says it must provide accessible spaces under the 2010 ADA Standards.

A drive shared by several homes, or a private road serving a few lots, falls under road paving. It gets the same grading and base work as a driveway, built for more traffic. Where it meets a county road or a state route, the road owner's rules apply at the connection.

Who controls the driveway connection in Ball Ground?

It depends on who owns the road at the end of your drive. Inside the city limits, the City of Ball Ground has its own right-of-way permit application. Ask city hall whether your driveway work needs it before the work starts.

Outside the city, Cherokee County's transportation engineering office issues driveway permits along county maintained roads. A new drive that crosses a stream falls under the county's stream crossing procedure. It asks for a lot grading plan that covers grading, drainage and erosion control, and a culvert or bridge design prepared by a Georgia registered civil engineering or surveying consultant.

Three state routes run through town: Highway 372, Highway 5 (Ball Ground Highway) and the Highway 5 business route. Georgia DOT requires a permit before construction work in the state right-of-way. Under GDOT's rules, routine upkeep of the pipe and driveway up to the pavement edge falls to the property owner. We build to the road owner's rules, and you can ask us about them at the estimate.