Asphalt Paving in Princeton, FL

Asphalt paving in Princeton has kept pace with some of the fastest growth in South Miami-Dade. Between the 2010 and 2020 counts, Princeton went from 22,038 people to 39,308, and housing units reached 11,557. Fields and groves along the Turnpike have turned into subdivisions, and those new homes need driveways, while the older homes near US 1 have driveways that are ready for replacement.

A depot with a college name

Princeton began as a small town and depot on the Florida East Coast Railroad in the early 1900s. Gaston Drake, who ran a sawmill and lumber company there, named it after his alma mater, Princeton University, and many buildings were painted the school's black and orange. The sawmill supplied lumber to Miami, the Keys and Cuba until the local timber ran out in 1923.

What growth means for paving

In new subdivisions, the most common requests are turning a temporary rock drive into asphalt, widening a builder's single-car drive, and adding a parking pad for a boat or work trailer. In the older part of town, it is replacement and repair. Either way, the work starts with the base. Land that was recently farmed or filled during construction needs loose material removed and a compacted limerock base built before asphalt goes down.

Low, flat land

Princeton sits at about 7 feet above sea level on flat ground. Drainage depends on the slope we build into the driveway. We set the finished grade so water runs to the swale or street and does not collect at the garage door, and we check that a widened section does not send water toward a neighbor's lot.

Roads and access

US 1 (Dixie Highway) runs through Princeton from northeast to southwest, and the Turnpike's Homestead Extension forms its eastern edge, with access at Exit 9. Princeton is unincorporated Miami-Dade, so county permit rules apply; the county's exemption guide says paving and drainage work requires a Zoning Improvement Permit.

HOA approvals

Many of the new Princeton subdivisions have homeowner associations with rules about driveway materials, widths and appearance. If your community has an architectural review process, we provide the drawings, dimensions and material details the HOA usually asks for so you can get approval before the work is scheduled.

Keeping new asphalt in shape

The first sealcoat should wait until the new driveway has cured, usually 3 to 6 months or more. From then on, a seal every few years plus crack filling each spring keeps rain out of the limerock, and on Princeton's flat ground, that's the whole game.

Work trucks and trailers

Many Princeton homeowners park work trucks, boats or trailers at home. Those vehicles put far more weight on a driveway than a car, especially when they sit in one place for weeks. If a heavy vehicle will park on your drive, tell us at the estimate. We thicken the base and asphalt in that area and make sure the edge where the trailer rolls on is well supported, since that is usually where cracking starts.