Asphalt Paving in Detroit, Oregon: 2026 Cost & Service Guide

Asphalt Paving at Detroit Lake

Detroit sits high in the Santiam Canyon on the shore of Detroit Lake, in Marion County, where Highway 22 climbs toward the Cascade crest. This is mountain country with real winters, deep snow at elevation, and a freeze-thaw cycle that punishes pavement. The town was nearly erased by the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire, and the rebuild has been the defining force in Detroit ever since. New homes, rebuilt businesses, and restored lakeside properties all need driveways, access roads, and paved pads that can survive the climate up here.

Cojo Excavation & Asphalt paves for Detroit and the upper canyon from our Willamette Valley base, running up Highway 22 to reach the lake. We build paving to a mountain spec, because valley-floor shortcuts do not survive a Detroit winter.

Why Mountain Paving Demands More

Pavement at Detroit's elevation faces conditions that flatland asphalt never does. Three things drive how we build a job here.

• Deep freeze-thaw and snow load — Detroit gets snow that sits, and the freeze-thaw cycle is more severe than down-canyon. Water in the base freezes, expands, and tears asphalt apart from below. A free-draining, well-compacted base is the only real defense.
• Slope and lakeside drainage — Many properties sit on a grade above the lake. Water has to be moved off the pavement deliberately, or it undermines the base and washes material toward the waterline.
• Short working season — The window for quality paving up here is shorter than in the valley. We plan around it.

The full process and cost drivers are covered in our asphalt paving cost in Oregon guide.

Industry Baseline Pricing for Asphalt Paving

We will not give you a firm price without seeing the site, and no honest contractor should. What we can offer is the industry baseline ranges the national market reports, with the strong caveat that mountain projects, with their sub-base, drainage, and haul-distance demands, often exceed them.

Industry baseline ranges. Actual cost depends on thickness, sub-base, access, grade, snow exposure, and haul distance to Detroit.

Scope	Industry Baseline Range
New asphalt driveway	$4–$8 per square foot
Asphalt overlay (resurface)	$2–$5 per square foot
Small commercial lot paving	$3–$7 per square foot
Full removal and replacement	$5–$10 per square foot
Aggregate base prep	$1–$3 per square foot

Detroit is a long haul from the nearest asphalt plant, so material transport and mobilization weigh into every quote. Pairing the paving with any needed excavation and site prep in a single mobilization is the most economical approach for a property this far up the canyon.

Wildfire Rebuild Paving

The Beachie Creek Fire destroyed most of Detroit, and rebuilding is still very much underway. Rebuild paving usually starts from bare ground: a cleared lot needs a new driveway approach, often a new access road, and a paved pad once the structure is up. These projects begin with excavation, grading, and base work before any asphalt is laid, which is why we handle the full sequence together. If you are rebuilding at the lake, getting the access and drainage right the first time is what keeps you from tearing it out after the first hard winter.

Driveway and Small-Commercial Work

Most paving in Detroit is residential driveways and small-commercial lots serving the lake's tourism and recreation economy. Driveways are about durability and drainage on sloped, snow-exposed ground. Commercial work, like a lot for a lodge, store, or marina-adjacent business, adds traffic load and often striping once the surface cures.

For either, the base is what determines whether the pavement lasts. A thin mat over poor base fails fast at this elevation. We build the base to handle the water and the freeze, then lay asphalt to match the load. If your existing surface is breaking up, our signs your driveway needs repaving guide helps you tell repair from replacement, and our driveway repair in Detroit page covers the in-between options.

Permits and the Highway 22 Right-of-Way

Highway 22 is a state route, so any work touching its right-of-way, such as a new driveway approach onto the highway, can require an ODOT access permit. Marion County thresholds apply for larger site work. We know the local permitting picture and fold it into the project plan so you are not navigating it alone.

Why Detroit Property Owners Choose Cojo

Few crews regularly work the upper Santiam Canyon, and fewer still build for a Detroit winter. We bring valley-grade equipment and an honest read on what your site needs: if the base requires more work to survive freeze-thaw and snow load, we say so, because skipping it is how mountain pavement fails in a season. The run up Highway 22 to the lake is routine for us.

See our completed paving and site work on the portfolio page. For nearby valley pricing context, our asphalt paving in Salem guide covers the closest major market we serve.