Parking Lot Paving in Wichita, KS

Parking lot paving is a different job from a driveway. A commercial lot carries delivery trucks, trash trucks and hundreds of cars a day, and it has to move a large amount of stormwater to inlets or the street. For property owners in Wichita, the decision usually comes down to three options: maintain what is there, overlay it, or rebuild failed areas and repave.

Overlay, reconstruction or both

An overlay is a new layer of asphalt placed over the existing surface after cracks are sealed and weak spots repaired. It works when the pavement is cracked and worn but still structurally sound. Where the base has failed, with deep potholes, rutting in drive lanes or alligator cracking around the dumpster pad, those sections need full-depth repair before any overlay. Many lots end up with a mix: rebuilt sections where the base is gone and a new surface course everywhere else.

Where lots fail first

• Dumpster pads and the approach trash trucks use
• Drive-through lanes and loading areas
• Entrances where every vehicle turns
• Low spots where water stands after rain
• Edges next to landscaping and curbs

We design those areas with a thicker section. HomeGuide notes that commercial or heavy-wear lots typically call for 4 inches of asphalt or more, compared with 2 to 3 inches for a home driveway.

Drainage on clay ground

A large paved area in Sedgwick County sends a lot of water somewhere, and the soils around it often drain slowly. Ponding water softens the base and speeds up freeze-thaw damage through Wichita's long winter freeze window. Before paving, we check grades to inlets and curb lines and plan the surface so water keeps moving.

Keeping the business open

Most lots cannot close all at once. We split the work into sections so customers, tenants or congregations can still park, keep entrances open where possible, and schedule around your busiest days. Phasing is laid out in the written quote so you know which areas close and when.

Striping and accessible parking

A new or overlaid lot needs new striping. Under the 2010 ADA Standards, restriping a lot means providing the required number of accessible spaces, including at least one van-accessible space. We lay out the stall count, accessible spaces and access aisles before paint goes down. See our line striping page for the details.

Work in the right-of-way

If the project includes new or wider entrances from a Wichita street, the drive approach falls under the city's right-of-way rules, which as adopted in 2016 call for a permit from the City Engineer, inspection, generally a concrete approach, and limits on width and spacing between approaches. We identify any entrance work at the estimate and check the current rules with the city so the permit process is in the schedule.