Richmond County, GA
Site Work, Concrete & Paving in Augusta, Georgia
Our headquarters have been on Gordon Highway since 1978. Land clearing, concrete, grading, drainage and paving across Richmond County.
Pave-Way has operated out of Augusta since 1978, when the company moved its headquarters here from Aiken and took the name it still uses. The office is on Gordon Highway and has been for the whole of that time.
We work the full range across Richmond County — land clearing and demolition, site grading and excavation, storm drainage, concrete driveways, sidewalks and curb and gutter, asphalt paving, and commercial parking lots.
Augusta sits on the Fall Line, and it shows up in the ground
This is not trivia. It is the single most useful thing to understand about building on ground in this county.
The Fall Line is the boundary where the hard, erosion-resistant rock of the Piedmont gives way to the softer sediments of the Coastal Plain, and it runs straight through Augusta. North and west of it you are generally working red clay over rock, with narrow stream valleys and steeper short falls. South and east you move into sands and softer material, with wider floodplains and different bearing behaviour.
The practical consequence is that two jobs a few miles apart inside the same county can want genuinely different treatment.
On clay, the problem is water that cannot get away. Clay holds moisture, swells and shrinks with it, and gives a base nowhere to drain. Pavement built over unimproved clay moves seasonally, and water trapped between the surface and the clay stays there. The fix is drainage and a base that sheds water, not a thicker surface.
On sand, the problem is the opposite. It drains beautifully and holds together poorly. Sand moves under load if it is not confined and compacted properly, and it erodes readily on any slope during construction.
We shoot our own grades and look at what is actually under a site rather than assuming, because in Richmond County the assumption is wrong often enough to matter.
Permitting in Richmond County
Augusta-Richmond County enforces its own Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance alongside the Georgia framework, and requires a grading permit for excavation, filling and grading work outside a short list of exemptions. Larger disturbances additionally trigger an erosion and sediment control plan, and adding impervious area brings stormwater considerations into the review.
Thresholds, fees and submission requirements get revised, so we confirm what applies to your site now rather than working from what applied last year. The county’s erosion and sediment control office can be reached on (706) 821-1706.
We handle land disturbance permitting on our own jobs on both sides of the river, and put erosion control in before the ground opens rather than after an inspector asks.
What we do most of here
Commercial parking lots along the main corridors, usually for properties that cannot close while the work happens. We phase in sections and work nights and weekends where the property needs it.
Concrete driveways and replacement in the established residential areas, where a good number of the drives we are asked to look at are original to the house and have failed from underneath rather than from wear.
Site packages for commercial development — clearing, grading, storm, utilities, curb, paving and striping, with one company answering for the finished ground.
Drainage correction on properties where water has been going the wrong place for years and has already taken out one surface.
The Augusta office
Our yard and office are at 1353 Gordon Hwy. We own our equipment, run our own crews and do our own surveying, and we do not subcontract our paving.
Bonded, licensed and insured in Georgia and South Carolina. Free estimates, no obligation.
Common questions — Augusta, GA
- Do I need a permit for grading or land disturbance in Augusta?
- For most projects beyond minor residential work, yes. Augusta-Richmond County enforces its own Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance alongside the state framework, and a grading permit is required for excavation, filling and grading work outside a short list of exemptions. Larger disturbances also trigger an erosion and sediment control plan. Thresholds and fees are revised periodically, so we confirm the current requirements for your specific site rather than working from what applied last year. The county's erosion and sediment control office can be reached on (706) 821-1706, and we handle the permitting on our jobs.
- Why does soil vary so much across Augusta?
- Because the Fall Line runs directly through the city. It is the boundary where the hard crystalline rock of the Piedmont meets the softer sediments of the Coastal Plain, and Augusta sits right on it. North and west of that line you are generally into red clay over rock, with narrow stream valleys. South and east you move into sands and softer material with wider floodplains. Two jobs a few miles apart in the same county can need genuinely different approaches to base preparation and drainage, which is one reason we shoot our own grades and dig into the subgrade rather than assuming.
- How does clay subgrade affect a driveway or parking lot?
- Clay holds water and changes volume as its moisture content changes. That means a base built directly on unimproved clay can move seasonally, and water that gets trapped between the pavement and the clay has nowhere to drain. The answer is not thicker asphalt — it is getting water away from the subgrade in the first place, and building a base that drains rather than one that holds. It is the single most common reason we are called to look at a lot that has failed twice in the same places.
- Do you work on Gordon Highway and the commercial corridors?
- Yes, and our own yard is on Gordon Highway. We do a lot of commercial lot work along the main corridors, where the constraint is usually keeping a business trading while the work happens. We phase lots in sections and work nights and weekends where the property needs it.
Free estimates in Augusta
Tell us about the site and we’ll come look at it. No obligation, and no charge for the estimate.