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Tarmac driveway repair in Southampton

Completed shared driveway in Southampton with a continuous new tarmac surface and reset utility covers.

Written by

Jonathan

in

Recent project / Southampton, Hampshire

Tarmac driveway repair in Southampton

Fifteen years of sinking. A 350 mm dip in the middle. This shared driveway needed a rebuild from the supporting layers up.

See the transformation ↓
Completed 14 October 2026 · Shared residential driveway
Completed shared driveway in Southampton with a continuous new tarmac surface and reset utility covers.
The finished driveway
350 mmApproximate dip at the centre
62 m²Approximate area rebuilt
15 yearsOf sinking before the repair

01 / The transformation

Same driveway.
A different finish.

The original shared access had a worn, patched surface and uneven areas. We rebuilt approximately 62 m² to restore the driveway’s levels and give the residents a consistent new tarmac surface.

Shared driveway in Southampton before repair, showing worn, patched tarmac and uneven areas.Before
The worn shared driveway before the repair.
Completed shared driveway in Southampton with the final wearing course laid and utility covers reset.After
The completed driveway, with the final wearing course laid.

02 / Beneath the surface

A fresh finish starts
with the foundation.

  1. Remove the old tarmac

    We excavated the existing tarmac across the repair area. It was removed from site by lorry and taken directly to a recycling plant.

  2. Stabilise and rebuild

    Terram geotextile fabric was laid across the full area as part of the ground stabilisation work. We then installed Type 1 sub-base, compacting it in 75 mm layers to form the foundation for the new surface.

  3. Reset the service covers

    The existing water stopcock and fire hydrant covers needed to match the new finished levels. We reset them on concrete bases so they were incorporated into the rebuilt driveway.

  4. Lay and compact the tarmac

    A 50 mm base course, using 20 mm tarmac material, was followed by a 30 mm wearing course, using 10 mm material. The base was power-plate compacted; the wearing course was finished with a roller and power plate.

Crew, tipper lorry and compaction equipment during the shared driveway repair in Southampton.
During the work: the team and surfacing equipment on site.
Built in layers

Terram geotextile → compacted Type 1 sub-base → 50 mm tarmac base course → 30 mm tarmac wearing course.

The driveway base course laid in Southampton before the final wearing course, with a roller still on site.During / Base course
Work in progress: the base course, before the final wearing course.

Work in progress

Base course in place

This photograph shows the laid base course. The final 30 mm wearing course had still to be installed at this stage.

03 / The finished details

The whole surface.
The small details.

The finished tarmac runs between the existing fence and the homes, with the utility covers set into the new surface. The wearing course is the top layer visible in the completed photographs.

Completed shared driveway in Southampton with a continuous new tarmac surface and reset utility covers.Finished
The completed shared driveway.
Worn and patched tarmac around utility covers on the shared driveway in Southampton.Before / The detail
The existing utility covers and patched surface before the rebuild.

This Southampton project shows the work that goes into a driveway repair beneath the finished surface: removal, ground preparation, compaction and attention to the existing covers, followed by the new tarmac.

Let’s talk about your driveway

Is your driveway sinking?

If your driveway has developed dips, cracks or uneven levels, we can assess the existing surface and provide a quotation for the appropriate repair.

Get a free quotation →Call 0118 336 0065

Explore our tarmac surfacing services or see more completed surfacing projects.

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