Speed Bumps
Concrete vs Asphalt Speed Bumps: Cost & Lifespan (2026)
Cojo
May 7, 2026
6 min read
For most Oregon commercial properties, asphalt beats concrete on a speed bump install. Concrete lasts longer, takes heavier loads, and looks cleaner — but it costs 30 to 50 percent more to install, takes longer to cure, and is brittle in deep-freeze locations like Bend or La Grande. Asphalt is cheaper, faster, easier to repair, and matches the surrounding pavement. Concrete is the right call only when the site sees extreme loads (truck terminals, port facilities) or when 25-year permanence is the actual design goal.
Below: the two compared on cost, lifespan, climate compatibility, and the situations where each material wins.
| Factor | Concrete Speed Bump | Asphalt Speed Bump |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Cast Portland-cement concrete | Hot-mix asphalt |
| Installed cost | $400 to $2,000 per unit | $300 to $1,500 per unit |
| Lifespan | 15 to 25 years | 7 to 10 years |
| Install method | Cast in place or precast set | Form and pave with hot-mix |
| Cure time | 5 to 7 days for full strength | 24 to 48 hours to open to traffic |
| Cold-weather performance | Brittle below 0 degrees F | Stable across Oregon climate |
| Repair when damaged | Saw-cut and re-pour (slow, costly) | Crack-fill or patch (fast, low-cost) |
| Visual appearance | Distinct from surrounding asphalt | Matches surrounding pavement |
| Maximum vehicle load | Highest of any bump material | High |
A concrete speed bump is a cast-in-place or precast unit made from Portland-cement concrete, typically reinforced with rebar or fiber. Cast-in-place units are formed on site with wood or metal forms, poured, screeded, and cured for 5 to 7 days before opening to traffic. Precast units are manufactured off-site and set on a leveled base with mechanical anchors.
Concrete's compressive strength (typically 4,000 to 6,000 psi) gives it the highest load capacity of any bump material. A loaded semi-truck crossing a properly built concrete bump produces no measurable deformation. This makes concrete the default choice at port facilities, truck terminals, and heavy-industrial yards.
For broader hub context, see our speed bumps guide.
An asphalt speed bump is paved on site as part of a regular hot-mix paving operation. Crews establish forms, place hot-mix asphalt, screed it to the parabolic profile recommended by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and compact with a small roller. After 24 to 48 hours of cure, the bump is painted with yellow chevrons and opened to traffic.
Asphalt's flexibility is the advantage. The material moves with seasonal pavement expansion and contraction without cracking. This is the dominant material for parking-lot bumps in Oregon's climate.
For the rubber alternative, see our rubber speed bump vs asphalt guide.
Industry Baseline Range — single-bump install
| Component | Concrete | Asphalt |
|---|---|---|
| Material | $200 to $800 | $80 to $250 |
| Labor | $400 to $1,200 | $300 to $900 |
| Forming and rebar (concrete only) | $100 to $300 | $0 |
| Pavement marking | $40 to $120 | $40 to $120 |
| Mobilization | $400 to $1,000+ | $400 to $1,000+ |
| Total installed | $400 to $2,000+ per bump | $300 to $1,500+ per bump |
In 2026, concrete bump installs have run 30 to 50 percent above 2024 baselines because of cement-pricing pass-through and the labor needed to form, pour, and cure bumps in a parking-lot context. Asphalt installs have run 25 to 40 percent above baseline. The gap between the two has widened slightly. For deeper cost analysis, see our concrete speed bump cost guide.
For a single bump on a moderate-traffic commercial lot:
| Year | Concrete | Asphalt (replace at year 8 and 16) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 install | $400 to $2,000 | $300 to $1,500 |
| Year 8 replacement or overlay | $0 to $300 | $300 to $1,500 |
| Year 16 replacement | $0 to $400 | $300 to $1,500 |
| Year 25 (concrete still in service) | $0 to $500 | $300 to $1,500 (year 24) |
| 25-year total | $400 to $3,200 | $1,200 to $6,000 |
Oregon's freeze-thaw exposure varies by region. The Willamette Valley sees roughly 40 to 70 freeze-thaw events per year per NOAA climate data; central Oregon (Bend, Redmond) sees 100 or more; the Klamath Basin and eastern Oregon see deep-freeze events that drop below 0 degrees F multiple times per winter.
Asphalt handles all of these environments well because the material is flexible and well-jointed asphalt bumps move with pavement without cracking. Concrete handles the Willamette Valley well but is more vulnerable in deep-freeze locations, where the brittle material can crack across the bump cross-section. Field experience in Bend installs shows concrete bumps developing transverse cracks within 5 to 10 years if construction joints are not detailed correctly.
On a Bend retail-center install in November 2025, we placed three asphalt speed bumps after evaluating concrete and rejecting it for the freeze-thaw exposure. The same property had two concrete bumps from a 2014 install showing transverse cracks at year 11. The new asphalt bumps, paired with crack-fill maintenance every 2 to 3 years, are projected to outlast the concrete predecessors in this climate.
This is the practical advantage of asphalt. Damaged asphalt bumps can be crack-filled, patched, or partially overlaid in a single visit, typically for $200 to $800. Damaged concrete bumps require saw-cutting the damaged section, breaking out the concrete, re-forming, re-pouring, and curing for a week. Repair cost typically runs $1,500 to $4,000.
For property owners who repair damaged bumps reactively rather than replacing, asphalt is clearly preferable.
Concrete bumps look distinctly different from surrounding asphalt pavement. The contrast can be a feature (calling attention to the bump) or a bug (clashing with the lot aesthetic). Asphalt bumps blend into the pavement, with only the yellow chevron paint marking the location.
For Class A office parks, retail centers, and high-end campuses, the appearance preference usually goes to asphalt. For industrial yards and truck terminals where utility outweighs aesthetics, concrete's distinct look is acceptable or even desirable.
For Oregon installs, including speed bump installation in Bend and full asphalt maintenance services, Cojo defaults to asphalt for typical Oregon commercial use and recommends concrete only for the specific cases where its load capacity and lifespan justify the cost.
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