Asphalt Driveway With a Concrete Apron: Worth It?

Often, yes, especially at the street end. The apron takes the hardest punishment on a driveway: every car turns and brakes there, delivery and garbage trucks swing in, and water from the gutter hits it. Concrete handles those concentrated loads and summer heat better than asphalt, and Concrete Network notes that some community regulations require concrete for aprons anyway. The trade-offs are higher upfront cost and a seam between two materials that move differently, which needs a proper flexible joint. For a garage apron, the case is less clear-cut and depends on how often heavy vehicles use it and how well the base was built.

Asphalt vs concrete → Asphalt vs concrete cost →

Why the Apron Takes a Beating

J. Worden Asphalt Paving, a Virginia contractor, describes the street entrance as the spot where every vehicle brakes and where delivery and garbage trucks put down their full weight. In older neighborhoods, that section may also lack edge support. Add snowplows, gutter water, and trucks turning around in driveways, and it's no surprise aprons fail first.

Ask the Builder columnist Tim Carter points out that vehicles often pull into private driveways just to turn around, adding wear the homeowner never planned for.

Advantages of a Concrete Apron

• Resists turning and braking loads. Concrete is rigid, so it doesn't shove or rut under tires the way softened asphalt can.
• Unaffected by heat. J. Worden notes that asphalt softens in sustained heat while concrete's strength isn't affected.
• Resists fuel and oil. The same contractor points out that gasoline and oil dissolve asphalt binder.
• Clean edge at the street. Concrete can be formed to a precise shape and slope toward the gutter.
• May be required. Concrete Network says some communities require it for aprons, so check before you choose.

Drawbacks

• Higher upfront cost. Saguaro Asphalt, a paving company, lists cost as the main drawback of a concrete apron, because of the labor and materials involved in forming, pouring, and finishing.
• A second trade. You may need both a paving contractor and a concrete contractor, or one who does both.
• Curing time. Concrete needs days to cure before driving on it.
• The joint. Where concrete meets asphalt, you have two materials that expand and contract differently.
• Harder to patch. Asphalt is easier to repair in small sections.

For a broader comparison, see the article weighing concrete against blacktop.

Building an Asphalt Driveway With Concrete Apron the Right Way

Thickness and Reinforcement

Recommendations for aprons are thicker than for typical driveways:

• Tim Carter recommends pouring a concrete apron at least 7 inches thick, with a design strength of 4,500 psi and a grid of half-inch reinforcing steel.
• Concrete Network says many municipalities require the apron to be 6 inches thick over a 4-inch compacted aggregate base, compared with the 4 inches common for concrete driveways.

If you stick with asphalt at the street, Carter advises a crushed gravel base of at least 10 to 12 inches under the apron, installed and compacted 4 inches at a time.

The Transition Joint

This is the part that often gets skipped. Pouring Praises Custom Concrete explains that concrete and asphalt move at different rates, so the seam opens and closes by roughly an eighth to a quarter inch each season. Without a flexible joint, the two lock together, and the company says a crack usually appears in the concrete a few inches from the joint, running more or less alongside it.

A well-built transition includes:

• A full-depth expansion or isolation joint between the concrete and the asphalt
• Flush surfaces, so tires and plows don't catch an edge
• Sealing the joint with a flexible sealant, often over a backer rod for wider gaps. The page on using backer rod in cracks shows how it's used.
• A compacted base under both materials, so neither settles at the seam

Drainage

The apron should slope toward the gutter at the street and away from the door at the garage. Water shouldn't collect at the joint.

Street Apron vs Garage Apron

Street apron: Concrete makes the most sense here. The loads are heaviest, the city may have rules, and the gutter is right there. Maple Grove, Minnesota, for instance, installs 2-foot concrete aprons at the street as part of its reconstruction projects.

Garage apron: Useful if heavy vehicles regularly park or turn at the garage, or if the asphalt keeps sinking there. Erickson Asphalt & Concrete notes that concrete garage aprons need to be tied into the garage floor with rebar to prevent movement. A well-built asphalt apron with a good base can also work fine.

For fixing a sunken or broken asphalt apron instead, see asphalt apron repair.

Local Rules

Concrete Network notes that some communities regulate apron materials and may require a permit, especially where the apron crosses a sidewalk or involves a curb cut. It adds that some communities cover part of the cost while others leave it to the homeowner. Ask your public works or engineering office before planning the work.

If scraping at the gutter is the real complaint, see fixing the bump where your driveway meets the street.

Mixing Materials Elsewhere

Concrete is sometimes used for patches in asphalt driveways, but it isn't always a good match. The article on patching blacktop with concrete explains why.

Bottom Line on a Concrete Apron

An asphalt driveway with concrete apron is often worth the added cost at the street, where turning and braking loads are heaviest and some cities require concrete. Build it thick with reinforcement, use a full-depth flexible joint at the transition, and check local rules first.