Asphalt Paving in Tenino, WA

Asphalt paving in Tenino covers a small town with a long memory. Tenino was incorporated on July 24, 1906, grew up around the Northern Pacific station, and became known for the sandstone cut from its quarries, which belongs to the McIntosh Formation. The Tenino Stone Company quarry, opened in 1891, is now the town swimming pool. The downtown historic district, about three acres, was listed on the National Register in 2004. Around that core, homes spread out onto former prairie and into wooded county land.

A small town with bigger lots

Tenino counted 1,870 residents in 2020, up from 1,695 in 2010, on less than a square and a half miles. Many properties in and around town have longer driveways than you find in Olympia or Lacey, and plenty are still gravel. Converting a gravel drive to asphalt is one of the most common jobs here. We regrade the existing gravel, dig out muddy or rutted areas, add and compact fresh crushed rock, and pave. If the drive crosses a ditch or swale, we check the culvert and make sure water still has a path.

Prairie ground and drainage

Tenino sits on prairie that was once kept open by controlled burns for camas. South Sound prairie soils are mostly glacial outwash, sand and rounded gravel that drain quickly. That is good news for a driveway base. The trouble spots are the low swales between, where finer soils hold water through winter. We probe for soft spots and dig them out rather than paving over them.

Older pavement in town

On lots near the historic downtown and the older residential streets, pavement may have been patched over many times. A careful look at the base tells us whether an overlay will hold or whether the old asphalt needs to come out. Downtown businesses and churches often need patching, crack sealing, sealcoating and fresh striping more than a full rebuild.

Working outside town limits

Many Tenino-area properties are in unincorporated Thurston County. The county calls a new or relocated driveway that connects to a county road an encroachment and requires a permit for that work. Repaving inside your own property line usually does not trigger it. If your project changes where the drive meets the road, we check with the county before scheduling.

Weather and scheduling

Tenino shares the South Sound's wet winters, so paving and sealing are best done in the warm, dry months. Filling cracks in August or September shuts the door on water before the wet season.

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