Asphalt Paving in Lexington
On this ground the worst failures happen where nobody can see them — soil washing out beneath a surface that still looks perfectly sound.
Tarmasters paves and repairs asphalt across Lexington, Missouri. The city sits on Grundy series heavy clay with river terrace alluvium over windblown loess, which erodes internally once water finds a path — so a sealed surface and positive drainage are the structure here. Insured, bonded, working the metro since 2014.
Most pavement problems announce themselves. A crack widens, a surface greys, a pothole opens. Lexington has a quieter one. The windblown loess under this city erodes internally when water finds a route through it — soil is carried away below the surface, a channel forms, and eventually there is a cavity under pavement that still looks intact from above.
The engineering name for it is piping, and it changes what an inspection is for. On a stable subgrade you are reading the surface. Here you are also listening for a hollow note, watching for a section that flexes under a slow tyre, and looking for fines washing out at a kerb face — because that is soil in transit, and it is coming from somewhere.
This is a river-bluff city of about 4,652 with a dense historic core, a hospital and courthouse to serve, and freight crossing at MO-13 and US-24. We work it from Lee's Summit, insured and bonded, and clear about whether you need sealing, excavation and repair, or a rebuilt section.
What makes Lexington asphalt last
The subgrade
Loess that moves when water moves
Lexington sits on windblown loess deposits that erode internally when water finds a path. A single crack in an aging downtown lot can trigger subsurface piping — soil literally washing away beneath the pavement. We design sealed surfaces and positive drainage to keep moisture off the subgrade entirely.
The water
Steep grades toward the bluffs
Many Historic Downtown lots slope toward the Missouri River bluffs at grades exceeding 4%. Unmanaged sheet flow concentrates at low corners, undercuts curb lines, and saturates lot perimeters. Every Lexington project gets a drainage plan that controls runoff before it reaches the subgrade.
And the winter on top of it: Lafayette County sees 38 freeze-thaw cycles annually. Moisture trapped in loess subgrade expands and contracts relentlessly, heaving slabs and cracking under-maintained surfaces faster than properties in better-drained soils farther west. Add heavy freight braking where MO-13 meets US-24 — this is a primary river crossing — and you have three mechanisms working on the same pavement. The defence against all three starts with the same thing: keep water out of the ground.
Services for Lexington properties
Repair, commercial paving, and driveways have dedicated Lexington pages. The rest run through the metro service pages.
Opening up soft or hollow-sounding areas, replacing what has washed out, and rebuilding the section over it.
Retail and institutional lots built sealed and positively drained, so water never reaches the subgrade at all.
On loess, an open crack is not a cosmetic issue. It is the path water uses to start moving soil.
Drives on the bluff streets and through the historic district, where the fall is steep and the run is long.
A new wearing course on the oxidised corridor retail — where the ground beneath is confirmed sound.
Keeping the surface closed. On this subgrade that is a structural decision rather than an appearance one.
Layout, loading areas, and accessible routes — the last a real challenge in a 19th-century streetscape.
Taking a surface off to grade so a corrected profile fits under existing kerbs and thresholds.
Finding a void before it finds you
Six things worth walking your own lot to look for. None of them require equipment, and any one of them is a reason to have someone open the ground rather than patch over the top.
| What you notice | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A hollow or drummy sound underfoot or under a tyre | Air rather than support beneath the mat — the classic sign of a developing void | Mark it and stop parking on it. Confirm the extent before anything is patched over the top. |
| Pavement that flexes visibly under a slow-moving vehicle | The section is spanning ground that is no longer carrying load | Treat as urgent. A mat bridging a cavity fails suddenly rather than gradually. |
| Fines or silt washing out at a kerb face or a joint | Soil is actively moving. Something is carrying it away | Find the water path first. Repairing the surface without that just repeats the process. |
| A crack that keeps reopening in the same place after repair | The subgrade under it is still moving or still eroding | Investigate below rather than resealing a third time. |
| A depression that appears without any cracking | Support has been lost beneath an otherwise intact surface | Excavate and inspect. Filling a dip on loess conceals the cause. |
| Water disappearing into the ground where there is no inlet | It is going somewhere, and taking fines with it | Trace it. This is how a subsurface channel starts, and it does not stop on its own. |
Working in Lexington
Tarmasters is a Kansas City–owned paving contractor and the asphalt division of Ford Concrete and Paving, working the metro since 2014. On ground that erodes internally, the value is in being willing to open it up and look — and in saying so before we quote rather than after.
Work here runs under City of Lexington / Lafayette County codes. City code addresses lots being sized for loading and unloading, and around the historic core the accessible-route constraints are as real as the structural ones.
Insured and bonded. Measured estimate, fixed price, firm sequence, and a straight answer about what your surface needs — including when it needs an excavation before a number is possible.
Lexington and beyond
We work the whole city — the Historic Downtown District, the MO-13/US-24 Retail Hub, and the Lexington Industrial Area — plus the institutional property around the courthouse and the health centre. Access is off MO-13, US-24, Main St, South St, and Franklin Ave.
Cities we cover nearby
Richmond, Hardin, and Orrick sit inside the same run. See the full service area.
Lexington paving questions
What is subsurface piping?
Soil being carried away by moving water below the surface, leaving a channel and eventually a cavity. Lexington sits on windblown loess deposits that erode internally when water finds a path. A single crack in an aging downtown lot can trigger subsurface piping — soil literally washing away beneath the pavement. We design sealed surfaces and positive drainage to keep moisture off the subgrade entirely. It is the reason a Lexington lot can look entirely sound and then drop — the failure was happening out of sight for a long time before the surface gave any sign.
How would I know if there is a void under our lot?
Sound and movement, mostly. A hollow, drummy note underfoot or under a tyre, or a section that visibly flexes when a vehicle rolls over it slowly, are the two clearest signs. Fines washing out at a kerb face is another — that is soil in transit. Any of those is worth investigating rather than patching.
Our downtown lot drains toward the bluff. Is that a problem?
It can be. Many Historic Downtown lots slope toward the Missouri River bluffs at grades exceeding 4%. Unmanaged sheet flow concentrates at low corners, undercuts curb lines, and saturates lot perimeters. Every Lexington project gets a drainage plan that controls runoff before it reaches the subgrade. Grades above 4% move a lot of water quickly, and where it concentrates at a low corner it undercuts the kerb line and saturates the perimeter. Controlling where that flow goes is a bigger factor in how long the lot lasts than the thickness of the asphalt on it.
Why does sealing matter more here than elsewhere?
Because of what is underneath. On a stable clay subgrade an open crack is a slow problem. On loess it is an entry point for the mechanism that erodes the ground itself. Keeping the surface closed and the drainage positive is not maintenance in Lexington — it is how you protect the structure.
Do you work around the historic district and the courthouse?
Yes. The constraints there are fixed grades, fixed thresholds, and accessible routes that have to be made to work within a 19th-century streetscape. That is regrading and measuring work as much as paving, and it is priced that way rather than treated as a straightforward resurface.
Free estimates across the Kansas City metro.
Driveways, parking lots, and repairs across the Kansas City metro, since 2014.
Call Now: (816) 789-0700Tarmasters Asphalt Paving
Lee's Summit, MO 64063 | Serving the Kansas City metro | Insured | Bonded