Asphalt Paving in El Mirage, CA

Asphalt paving in El Mirage is remote desert work. El Mirage is an unincorporated community in the western Victor Valley next to El Mirage Lake, a dry lake bed, about 12.5 miles northwest of Adelanto. The name is a corruption of the Spanish El Miraje, the mirage. Properties are spread out, and most driveways start as dirt or gravel tracks across open desert.

Climate

El Mirage sits at about 2,913 feet with a hot desert climate. Normals from 1991 to 2020 show about 5.41 inches of precipitation a year and an average daily high of about 76 degrees across the year. The record high is 112 degrees and the record low is 1 degree. That range, plus open wind exposure, is hard on asphalt.

What remote paving takes

Hot mix has to arrive hot enough to compact, so remote jobs need planning:

• Deliveries timed for the cooler part of summer days
• Base work finished before the asphalt is scheduled
• Paving done in one push
• Calm days chosen for sealing

Sand and edges

Wind across open desert carries sand onto pavement and undercuts edges. We compact past the paved width, backfill shoulders and set a crown so sand and water shed off the surface.

What we pave

• Long driveways from the road to the house
• Parking and turnaround pads
• Yards for trucks and equipment
• Areas around buildings that blow dust

Film location

The music video for California Love was filmed in El Mirage in 1995. The same empty desert that draws film crews means long distances between neighbors and long drives to pave.

Costs

HomeGuide lists standard asphalt at about $5 to $12 per square foot and recycled asphalt at about $4 to $9. A 10 by 400 foot remote drive is 4,000 square feet, which works out to roughly $20,000 to $48,000 in new hot mix. Paving the house end first and the rest later spreads the cost.

Dry lake visitors

The dry lake draws visitors and events, and traffic on local roads picks up on those weekends. We schedule deliveries for weekdays.

Flat ground drainage

Flat desert does not drain on its own. Every drive gets a crown and graded shoulders.

Off-road and visitor traffic

The dry lake area sees visitor and recreational vehicle traffic. Properties near access roads sometimes want parking areas paved so trailers and trucks have a firm place to stop without tearing up the yard.

Driveways from the road

Many properties sit a long way back from the county road. The section nearest the road takes the most traffic and the most wind-blown sand, so we often recommend paving it first, with a wide apron for trucks, and extending toward the house later.

County permits

El Mirage is unincorporated San Bernardino County. Approach work on county-maintained roads needs a county encroachment permit. Call (760) 383-7312 or

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