Asphalt Paving Contractors in West Des Moines, IA

Asphalt paving contractors in West Des Moines work across fifty years of suburban growth. The city counted 21,894 residents in 1980, 46,403 in 2000 and 68,723 in 2020, and the Census Bureau estimates 74,224 for 2025. Most of the driveways and lots in town were built during that run, which means the age of the pavement varies block by block. Some neighborhoods are on their second or third surface. Others are just reaching the age where cracks open and sealing starts to matter. We look at what is actually there before recommending anything.

Common questions, answered straight

How much does a 20 by 20 asphalt driveway cost? HomeGuide puts a 400-square-foot asphalt driveway at roughly $2,000 to $4,800 nationally. What about 500 square feet? HomeGuide lists $2,500 to $6,000. Is asphalt cheaper than concrete? Usually, up front. Angi lists asphalt at $7 to $15 per square foot installed; concrete is typically more. Tear-out, base repair and approach work change all of these numbers, which is why the written estimate is the price that counts.

Weather in the metro

Des Moines averages 36.5 inches of snow a year and a mean January low of 13.8 degrees. The typical last spring frost at the airport is around April 24 and the first fall frost around October 14, using 1991-2020 normals. That gives the western metro a slightly longer paving window than central Iowa to the north, but it is still a season, not a year. Most full paving happens May through September, with sealing in the warm, dry stretches inside that window.

Water, rivers and low ground

The Raccoon River and Walnut Creek have flooded West Des Moines repeatedly, and a floodwall went up along Walnut Creek near the Des Moines line after the Great Flood of 1993. Most driveways are nowhere near a river, but the same lesson applies to every lot: water that stays under asphalt ruins it. Low corners, downspouts aimed at the driveway and flat spots that pond after a storm are where failures start. We set grade and base so water leaves the pavement.

Get a Free Estimate

Right-of-way work in West Des Moines

Your driveway sits on your property, but the curb cut and approach are in the public right-of-way. The City of West Des Moines uses a right-of-way permit for that work. Its current application lists a $50 fee for sidewalk and approach work and a $200 deposit for all right-of-way work, requires 24 hours' notice to Engineering before opening or backfilling, and 48 hours' notice to Public Services for a street or lane closure. If your project reaches past the sidewalk, we tell you at the estimate and build the permit into the schedule.

How a replacement goes

1. Old asphalt or concrete is broken out and hauled away. 2. Soft or wet subgrade is excavated and replaced with crushed stone. 3. The base is graded for drainage and compacted in lifts. 4. Hot-mix asphalt is placed and rolled to the thickness on your quote. 5. Edges are tapered to the garage, sidewalk and approach, and backfilled. 6. You get timing for driving on it and for the first sealcoat.

HOAs and multi-home projects

Many West Des Moines, Clive and Waukee neighborhoods have homeowners associations with standards for driveways and shared drives. We can price several homes at once, phase work so residents always have access, and give the board a written scope it can compare against other bids.

West Des Moines is our base. We work across the western and central metro, including Clive, Urbandale, Windsor Heights, Waukee, Johnston, Grimes, Des Moines, Ankeny, Altoona and Pleasant Hill, south into Norwalk, Cumming, Carlisle and Indianola, and west into Van Meter, De Soto, Adel, Dallas Center and Granger, plus Winterset. Each city handles curb cuts and right-of-way work its own way, and rural Warren County has its own entrance rules, which are among the strictest in the area. The town pages cover the details.