How to Prevent Snowplow Damage to Asphalt Driveways and Parking Lots
Snowplows are essential in a Minnesota or Wisconsin winter.
But a plow blade is a hard, heavy edge moving across your pavement, often before sunrise and often with snow covering the very lines the operator needs to see.
That’s why plow damage tends to show up in the same places: the edges, the transitions and anything that sticks up out of the pavement.
The good news is that most of it can be prevented with a little planning before the first storm.
Whether you’re protecting a driveway or managing a parking lot, here’s why plows damage asphalt and what you can do about it.
This guide focuses on damage caused by snowplows. For general snow removal advice, see our tips for clearing snow from an asphalt driveway.
Why Plows Damage Pavement Edges
Plow damage is rarely random.
The edge of an asphalt driveway or parking lot doesn’t have pavement beside it providing additional support. That makes it the easiest place for a blade to chip, crack or break away.
Snow makes it worse. Once the edge is covered, the operator can’t see where the pavement ends. The blade drifts toward it, swings wide at the end of a pass or catches a lip that was hidden under the snow.
Winter movement adds to the problem. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, pavement moves with the ground as it freezes and thaws, so a driveway or lot can sit higher in some spots in winter than it does in summer. Raised edges and uneven transitions are exactly what a blade catches.
Edges that are already cracked or crumbling are the most vulnerable. If you’ve noticed cracking, our guide to why driveway cracking occurs explains what’s behind it.
Blade Height and Plow Shoes Matter
If a plow blade rides on the pavement, it scrapes the pavement.
Our guidance is to keep plow and snowblower blades at least ½ inch above the surface.
Plow shoes are what set that height, so they should be adjusted for pavement and checked as they wear.
The cutting edge matters too. Polyurethane and rubber edges are gentler on asphalt than bare steel, though they may not clear hard-packed snow as aggressively. The right choice depends on the site and how much bare-pavement clearing you need.
A plow that clears every last bit of snow down to bare asphalt is usually a plow that’s touching the asphalt.
If you hire a plow contractor, tell them about the weak spots on your pavement before the season starts. It’s much easier to have that conversation in October than after the first storm.
How to Mark Your Pavement Before the Snow Falls
Marking is one of the simplest ways to protect your pavement.
Plow operators can only avoid what they can see. Once snow covers a driveway or lot, edges, curbs and drainage structures can look like one continuous white surface.
Use bright or reflective stakes or markers, and make sure they’re tall enough to stay visible above the snow. Put them in before the first snowfall.
Think about marking:
- The edges of the driveway or lot, especially corners and curves
- Where asphalt meets a garage, apron, sidewalk or other concrete
- Curbs, parking lot islands and landscaping beds
- Catch basins, manholes and other drainage or utility covers
- Speed bumps, wheel stops and light pole bases
- Raised cracks, uneven patches and other known problem spots
Then walk the property with whoever does your plowing. A few minutes before the season can prevent an avoidable spring surprise.
Check your markers after big storms, too. They get knocked over, buried or pushed out of place.
Watch the Transitions: Aprons, Garage Entrances and Concrete Edges
Some of the most common plow hits happen where asphalt meets something else.
A concrete apron, garage slab or sidewalk doesn’t move the way a driveway does. The garage floor sits on a foundation, so as the driveway rises and settles with the seasons, you may notice a lip where the two meet.
A blade that catches that lip can chip the asphalt edge, scar the concrete or both.
If you have a lip, a broken apron edge or a raised seam, tell whoever plows and have it evaluated. Whether it needs a minor fix or something more depends on what’s causing it.
If the lip or apron edge keeps catching blades, our guide on whether to repair the apron or replace more of the driveway explains how to decide.
Curbs, Islands and Drainage Structures in Parking Lots
Parking lots add obstacles that driveways don’t have.
Curbs, parking islands, catch basins, manhole covers, speed bumps and wheel stops are all hard to see under snow. A blade that strikes one can damage the obstacle, the pavement around it and the plow.
Raised drainage structures and uneven repairs deserve extra attention, because they’re exactly where blades catch.
Softer cutting edges and plow shoes help, and some plow equipment is designed to give when it hits something. But nothing replaces knowing where the obstacles are.
Broken edges, uneven areas near drains, curbs or entrances, and low spots that hold water are worth tracking. They can point to something deeper than plow wear.
Heavy Equipment Needs a Plan Too
Commercial properties often use more than a pickup with a blade.
Loaders, skid steers and trucks with wings or box pushers move more snow, but they also concentrate more weight and put more turning stress on the pavement.
The areas that take the most punishment are usually where equipment turns, backs up, stacks snow or crosses the same entrance again and again. Those spots may need a different layout or a different pavement section than the rest of the property.
Steel edges are harder on asphalt than softer materials. If a contractor uses heavy equipment on your property, make sure they know where the edges, curbs and drains are.
Where You Pile Snow Matters
Where the snow goes is part of the pavement plan.
Snow piled on a catch basin, a drainage swale or the edge of the pavement can keep meltwater from leaving. That water ends up on the pavement, where it can refreeze and find its way into cracks.
Piles in low spots do the same thing. So can piles that bury the markers you set out.
Decide where snow will be stacked before the season starts. Keep it off drainage structures and away from pavement edges where practical, and leave a path for meltwater.
For gutter and drainage fixes near the garage, see our guide to fixing driveway drainage near the garage.
What to Check After the Snow Melts
Once the snow is gone, walk the pavement.
- Gouges, scrapes or lifted pieces of asphalt
- Broken or crumbling edges
- Damaged curbs, islands, catch basins or covers
- Scraped or missing pavement markings in parking lots
- New cracks near patches, transitions or edges
- Low areas that hold water
Take photos and note locations while the damage is fresh. Timely repairs can reduce water intrusion and keep a small problem from spreading.
Before you patch anything, ask why it happened:
- Is this plow damage, or a sign of base or drainage trouble?
- Is the edge cracked or unsupported?
- Is a raised transition catching blades?
- Where does the water go in the spring?
- Is the damage limited to one spot, or does it point to a bigger problem?
- Will a repair hold if the cause is still there?
If you’re not sure of the answers, have a paving professional look at the damage before you repair it.
FAQs About Snowplow Damage to Asphalt
Plow damage usually follows the path of the blade: scrapes, gouges, chipped or broken edges, and lifted pieces near raised spots or transitions. Winter movement is more likely to show up as cracking, or as raised and settled areas that change with the seasons. If you can’t tell which you’re looking at, photos taken now and again in summer can show whether an area moves.
Not necessarily. A surface scrape is a different problem from a broken edge, a lifted section or damage that keeps coming back in the same place. What matters is the cause. If the base or drainage is at fault, a quick patch may not hold, so it’s worth having the area evaluated before you decide between repair and replacement.
Photograph the damage as soon as you see it, note where it is and let the contractor know right away. Have the pavement evaluated before it’s repaired so the repair addresses the cause, and mark the spot so it isn’t hit again.
Winter-Ready Pavement Starts Before the First Storm
You can’t control the weather, and you can’t stop the plow.
But you can decide where the edges are, where the obstacles are and where the snow goes before the first storm.
That’s what protects the pavement you’ve already invested in.
At Blacktop Concepts, our estimators bring hands-on paving knowledge to every project, and they look at why damage happened, not just where it is.
Managing a commercial property? Here’s how a Minnesota site assessment and a Wisconsin site assessment start the process.
If you’d like a second set of eyes on your driveway or parking lot, or you’re already seeing plow damage, we’d be happy to walk the property with you and talk through what we see. Schedule a free estimate or call us at 651-735-7134.
We serve homeowners and businesses in the St. Paul, MN and Hudson, WI areas.
Blacktop Concepts. Paving the Way Since 1978.
