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

Asphalt Paving in Warrenton, Oregon

Warrenton sits at the mouth of the Columbia, where the river meets the Pacific at the northwest tip of Oregon, neighboring Astoria in Clatsop County. This is true coastal ground: flat, sandy, low-lying, often built on filled tideland, with the highest rainfall and the saltiest air in the region. For a paving contractor, Warrenton is one of the more demanding environments in the state, and the work, mostly residential driveways and small-commercial lots around the Highway 101 corridor, lives or dies on base prep and drainage.

This guide covers what asphalt paving involves on a Warrenton property, what affects the cost, and how permitting works in Clatsop County.

Driveway and Small-Commercial Paving

Most Warrenton paving falls into two buckets:

• Residential driveways — new installs, full replacements, and overlays on flat coastal lots
• Small-commercial lots — parking for the retail and services along the Highway 101 corridor and around the Warrenton commercial district

The fundamentals are the same in both. You build a compacted aggregate base, lay hot-mix asphalt, and compact while it is hot. What makes Warrenton hard is everything under and around the asphalt: sandy fill, a high water table, heavy rain, and salt air. Our asphalt paving cost in Oregon guide covers the statewide pricing factors in depth.

Sandy Soils, the Water Table, and Tideland Fill

Asphalt lasts only as long as its base, and Warrenton's base conditions are tricky. Much of the city is built on flat, sandy ground or filled former tideland, with a water table that sits high year-round and rises with the tides in places. Sandy soil drains fast but does not hold its shape under load the way a good engineered base does, so a paving job here needs a properly built and compacted aggregate section, sometimes with geotextile fabric to keep the base separated from soft subgrade.

A solid Warrenton paving job accounts for the high water table and weak native soil with adequate base depth, strong compaction, and drainage that keeps the section from staying saturated. These steps matter more on the coast than almost anywhere inland. Cutting them to win a low bid fails fast in Warrenton conditions.

Salt Air, Heavy Rain, and Sealcoat

Warrenton gets the coast's heaviest rainfall and constant salt-laden air, both of which are hard on asphalt. Water finds cracks and soaks the base, and the freeze-thaw is milder than inland but the sheer volume of rain makes up for it. The defense is the standard coastal playbook turned up a notch.

Sealcoating on a regular cycle, sealing cracks promptly, and keeping aggressive surface drainage are how asphalt survives at the river mouth. Sealcoat also helps shield the surface from the constant moisture. Our driveway sealcoating guide explains how it protects a driveway through heavy coastal rain.

Clatsop County Permits

Paving in Warrenton can touch a few permitting layers depending on scope and location:

• City of Warrenton review for work within city limits affecting drainage or right-of-way
• Clatsop County requirements for parcels in unincorporated areas
• Floodplain and tideland review, which carries real weight given Warrenton's low coastal elevation
• ODOT or right-of-way permits when a new approach ties into Highway 101 or a public road

Because so much of Warrenton sits at low coastal elevation on or near mapped floodplain and former tideland, those reviews come up more here than almost anywhere. Our Clatsop County asphalt paving guide covers the county detail, and a contractor who works the coast will know what applies.

What Asphalt Paving Costs in Warrenton

Paving cost depends on size, thickness, base condition, access, and prep. The figures below are industry baseline ranges, not Cojo quotes, and real Warrenton projects vary, especially where sandy fill and the high water table demand extra base work.

Industry baseline ranges. Actual costs vary with area, base prep, asphalt thickness, and site access.

Project Type	Industry Baseline Range
New asphalt driveway	$5–$10 per sq ft
Driveway overlay / resurface	$3–$7 per sq ft
Small commercial lot (new)	$4–$9 per sq ft
Aggregate base prep	$2–$5 per sq ft
Full driveway replacement	$7–$15 per sq ft

These are starting references. Warrenton's sandy tideland soils, high water table, heavy rain, and coastal travel can all raise the total, often pushing base prep toward the upper end. The accurate number always comes from a site visit that checks the subgrade.

Get the Base Right and the Rest Follows

Every long-lasting Warrenton driveway shares the same recipe: a properly built, well-drained base under quality asphalt, which is harder to achieve on sandy coastal ground and therefore more important to get right. If you are repairing rather than replacing, our driveway repair options guide helps you decide what level of work fits. Neighbors in Astoria may also want our asphalt paving in Astoria guide, since the coastal conditions match.