We offer the installation of gravel and RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement). Whether it is to improve your existing dirt driveway or as the base for your new driveway, Champion Paving, can help you select which product is best for your property.
Gravel is a loose combination of crushed stones, sand and clay. Gravel is a common base for most driveways. Sand does not work as a base because water can wash it away and shift the sand, causing your driveway to move and crack. Large rocks causes frost heaves, and smaller stones, allows the water to get between the stones and freeze and thaw also causing frost heaves.
Frost heaves happen when the soil below the ground freezes and thaws, which cause the expansion and contraction of the soil. Any matter in the soil such as rocks or stumps will move up and down as the soil freezes and thaws, since they are not materials that expand and contract the same way as soil. The lifting and sinking of such materials are what causes frost heaves.
RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement) is an alternative to both gravel and asphalt that shares qualities of each. RAP is made of recycled materials containing asphalt and aggregates that come from removed roads and driveways. It is loose material, similar to gravel, but resistant to the effects of water because the material is coated in asphalt cement, so it does not wash away and dip like gravel, and rain actually hardens the material unlike gravel which often gets washed away. RAP is an excellent product for overlaying dirt driveways to prevent them from washing away or as a base under your driveway if there is a lot of water under the ground.
