Asphalt Millings Driveways in Greensboro, NC

Asphalt millings driveways use recycled asphalt: the material ground off old roads and parking lots before they are repaved. Spread, graded and compacted, millings bind together into a firm, dark surface that sheds water better than loose gravel. They are popular around Greensboro for long country drives in places like Summerfield, Stokesdale, Oak Ridge and Pleasant Garden, where paving several hundred feet of new hot-mix would be expensive.

How millings compare

Millings sit between gravel and new asphalt. They cost more than gravel and less than hot-mix. HomeGuide lists recycled asphalt at about $4 to $9 per square foot installed as a paved surface, against $5 to $12 or more for standard hot-mix, and Angi lists gravel at about $1 to $2 per square foot. A compacted millings surface is less smooth than new asphalt, may shed some loose material at first, and does not seal out water as well. For a long, lightly used drive, those trade-offs are often worth it.

Building it right

The same ground rules apply as for any driveway on Piedmont clay. A millings surface laid straight onto soft clay will rut. We check the existing drive, add stone where the base is thin, set a crown or cross slope so water leaves the surface, and spread millings in compacted layers. Ditches and culverts along the drive matter as much as the surface itself.

Culverts on state roads

Many rural drives around Greensboro meet state-maintained roads. Under NCDOT practice, as described by the UNC School of Government, the state will install a drainage pipe under a residential driveway connection if the owner supplies the pipe and materials. If your project includes a new or changed connection to a state road, we tell you at the estimate so the NCDOT piece is handled before we start.

Upkeep

Millings tighten up with traffic and sun. Over time, potholes can form in low spots, and those are easy to fill with more millings and compact. Some owners later pave over a well-settled millings drive with hot-mix, which then has an excellent base under it.

When we recommend new asphalt instead

Short driveways, steep driveways where loose material washes down, and drives where kids ride bikes or skate are usually better with new hot-mix. We price both when the choice is close.