Removing a speed hump is more involved than pulling a rubber speed bump because the hump is poured asphalt fused into the surrounding pavement. Most projects need a saw cut, mill or grind, hot-mix patch, and fresh markings — a half-day to one-day operation that costs property owners $1,500 to $3,500+ per hump. Below: the process our crews run on Oregon parking lots and private roads, the equipment list, and the realistic budget.
What does removing a speed hump actually involve?
Asphalt speed humps are not bolted-on devices -- they are continuous with the surrounding pavement. To remove one, the contractor saw-cuts a clean rectangle around the hump, mills or grinds the raised material down to the original road grade, sweeps and tacks the patch area, places hot-mix asphalt in lifts, compacts to match adjacent pavement elevation, and re-stripes any markings that were removed. The Federal Highway Administration's Traffic Calming ePrimer treats hump removal as a standard pavement-restoration job rather than a specialty service.
When should a speed hump be removed?
Common removal triggers from Cojo's call log include:
- The hump was installed without the proper traffic study and emergency-services review (a frequent issue cited in Oregon DOT's residential traffic-calming guidance).
- The hump's height or profile is wrong -- typically too tall, causing vehicle damage complaints.
- A change in property use (medical campus, fire-access road) requires emergency-vehicle compatibility, which a single hump cannot provide.
- The hump has degraded past patching and is now a trip and tort hazard. The U.S. Access Board's accessible right-of-way guidance treats degraded vertical changes as accessibility issues.
- The street is being repaved and the owner wants the calming device replaced with a different solution (cushion, table, raised crosswalk).
Tools and Materials Required
| Item | Spec | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete saw with diamond blade | 14-inch wet-cut | Saw-cut the perimeter |
| Cold planer or pavement grinder | 12-inch to 24-inch drum | Mill the hump down |
| Skid steer with broom | -- | Sweep the patch area |
| Tack coat (CSS-1h emulsion) | per ODOT 00744 | Bond the patch |
| Hot-mix asphalt | Level 2 or Level 3 dense-graded per ODOT 00744 | Patch material |
| Vibratory roller | 1.5-ton minimum | Compact the patch |
| Plate compactor | 200-lb class | Edge compaction |
| Traffic-control package | MUTCD Part 6 compliant | Lane closure |
| Striping paint or thermoplastic | Per existing markings | Re-mark after curing |
Step-by-Step Removal Process
Step 1 - Pre-removal site review (30 minutes)
Document the existing hump with photos and measurements. Confirm the patch boundary you intend to saw-cut clears the hump's full footprint by 6 to 12 inches on all sides -- tapered ends and shoulder pavement are part of the hump and must come out.
Step 2 - Set up traffic control (45 minutes)
A speed hump sits in the travel lane, so the lane must close. On a private parking lot the MUTCD Part 6 advance-warning template is still the safe baseline -- cones at 50 to 100 feet, an arrow board if traffic is two-way, and a flagger if pedestrians are present.
Step 3 - Saw-cut the perimeter (30 to 45 minutes)
Use a wet-cut concrete saw to cut a clean rectangle around the hump. Cut through the asphalt to the base course, typically 3 to 4 inches deep. Square corners reduce the chance of patch failure.
Step 4 - Mill or grind the hump down (45 to 90 minutes)
A cold planer is fastest. For small or single humps, a hand-held grinder plus pickaxe and shovel works for crews without a planer. The goal is to remove all raised material and 1 to 2 inches of base course beyond the original grade so the patch has structural depth.
Step 5 - Clean and tack the patch (15 minutes)
Sweep the patch area until the surface is loose-debris free. Apply CSS-1h emulsion tack coat per Oregon DOT Section 00744 at 0.05 to 0.10 gallons per square yard.
Step 6 - Place hot-mix asphalt (45 to 90 minutes)
Place the hot-mix in lifts no thicker than 2 inches each. Two 2-inch lifts compacted is more durable than one 4-inch lift. Mix temperature at the time of placement should be 280 to 320 degrees F per ODOT spec.
Step 7 - Compact to grade (30 minutes)
Roll until the patch matches adjacent pavement elevation. Use a stringline or 10-foot straightedge to confirm the patch is flush, not crowned and not depressed. A depressed patch will pond water and fail in 2 to 3 winters.
Step 8 - Re-stripe and re-sign (next day)
Wait 24 to 72 hours for the patch to cool and cure. Re-paint any stop bars, lane lines, or warning markings that ran through the removed hump. Remove the MUTCD W17-1 speed-hump warning sign and the advance pavement markings -- leaving them after the hump is gone confuses drivers and is a sign-maintenance violation.
How long does speed hump removal take?
Most single-hump removals on a parking lot run 4 to 6 hours of crew time, plus 24 to 72 hours of cure before re-striping. A multi-hump residential street with traffic control can stretch into 1 to 2 days. Cojo removed a failed hump on a Beaverton commercial driveway in March 2026 -- 14 feet long, 4 inches tall -- in 5 hours of crew time start to finish, with re-striping the following morning.
How Much Does It Cost to Remove a Speed Hump?
Industry Baseline Range
| Component | Range |
|---|---|
| Single hump removal and patch (parking lot) | $1,500 to $3,500+ |
| Single hump removal (residential street, with traffic control) | $2,500 to $5,000+ |
| Multi-hump removal (3 or more, same site) | $1,200 to $2,500+ per hump |
| Re-striping any markings | $200 to $600+ |
| Sign and post removal | $150 to $400+ |
Current Market Reality
2026 hot-mix prices, fuel surcharges, and traffic-control labor have pushed Oregon removal costs above the historical baseline. Multi-hump same-site jobs see the steepest discount because mobilization (truck, planer, roller) is amortized across more units. Single-hump emergency removals in a tight schedule pay a 20 to 40 percent premium.
Why bother saw-cutting -- can the hump just be milled flush?
Skipping the saw cut leaves a feathered edge where the patch meets the existing pavement. Feathered patches fail within 2 to 3 freeze-thaw cycles. The OSHA Pavement Guide and the FHWA pavement preservation guidance both treat clean vertical edges as a baseline for durable patches.
Can a speed hump be removed in winter?
Hot-mix asphalt requires ambient temperatures above 40 degrees F at placement and a dry surface. In Oregon's wet winters Cojo recommends scheduling between April and October for the cleanest result. Emergency mid-winter removals use a cold-patch product as a temporary fix, then a hot-mix overlay in spring.
Should you replace the hump with something else?
Removal is rarely the end of the conversation -- if the original calming need still exists (traffic speeds, complaints, fire-access concerns), property owners typically replace the hump with one of the following:
- A speed cushion (lets fire trucks through, slows passenger cars)
- A speed table (gentler ride, supports buses)
- A raised crosswalk (combines pedestrian crossing with calming)
- Additional striping, signage, and a bollard layout (passive calming)
Cojo's asphalt maintenance services cover both removal and replacement on the same mobilization, which is the cheapest path forward.
Get a Quote for Speed Hump Removal
Send Cojo a site photo and a measurement (length and approximate height) and a Cojo estimator will return a fixed-price proposal within one business day. Removal jobs anywhere on the Oregon I-5 corridor -- Portland, Salem, Eugene, Springfield, Bend, Beaverton -- are routine work for our crew. See the related speed hump installation in Portland page for local context, or read our speed hump cost guide for budgeting baselines.