Asphalt Paving in Lake Los Angeles, CA

Asphalt paving in Lake Los Angeles usually means long runs. The community sits about 17 miles east of Palmdale's Civic Center on 9.79 square miles, and many homes sit well back from the road on large lots. In 1967 developers bought 4,000 acres here and divided them into 4,465 lots, refilling a natural lake bed to attract buyers. The lake was probably never more than about five feet deep and was left to evaporate in the early 1980s. The lots remained, and so did the dirt and gravel drives that came with them.

Gravel to asphalt

A gravel or dirt drive on open desert ground ruts after storms, throws dust in the wind and tracks sand into the house. Paving one is a bigger job than a standard driveway, but the steps are the same:

• We grade and compact the existing material where it is sound.
• We add aggregate where the drive has thinned out or turned to sand.
• We crown or cross-slope the surface so water sheds off the side.
• We pave to a thickness suited to what uses it: cars, pickups, horse trailers or RVs.

If the full length is too much for one budget, we pave the section near the house first and leave a clean joint for later.

Sand and wind

The east valley is open to wind, and blowing sand is hard on new work. Sand on the base or on the tack coat weakens the bond, so we clean right before paving and avoid windy days for sealcoating. Once a drive is paved, keeping the edges backfilled and the shoulders planted or graveled stops wind from undercutting them.

Owners, mostly

The 2020 census counted 13,187 residents and 3,762 housing units, with about 72.5 percent of occupied homes owner-occupied. Most of our work here is residential, plus church lots, small business lots and storage yards.

County roads

Lake Los Angeles is unincorporated Los Angeles County. Any work in the county road right-of-way, including a new or widened driveway approach, needs a Los Angeles County Public Works road permit, applied for through EPIC-LA. County permits expire if work does not start within 60 days of issuance, so we time the application to the job.

Film sets and open views

Lake Los Angeles has been used for filming since 1938, and two permanent sets still stand: a mid-century rest stop and an early 20th-century gas station and house. The same open desert views that draw film crews draw homeowners, and they often want a driveway that looks finished without hemming in the landscape. A clean asphalt drive with neat, backfilled edges and a gravel or native-plant shoulder fits that look and stays stable in the wind.

Sizing the job

A long drive is priced by area, so a 12 by 200 foot drive is 2,400 square feet before any turnaround or parking pad. We measure on site and give you options for width and thickness. Call (661) 466-4552 or

Get a Free Estimate

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