Chester paving contractor
Yes, we work Chester and the Narrows
Chester sits on the eastern side of Kent Island, right at Kent Narrows, the waterway that joins the Chester River to Eastern Bay and separates the island from the rest of the peninsula. Nearly a quarter of the community's seven square miles is water. It has grown hard since 2000, from 3,723 people to 5,003 at the 2020 census, and the median age of 48 tells you a lot about who is moving in.
Traffic crosses the Narrows on the R. Clayton Mitchell Jr. Bridge, which carries US 50 and US 301, and on the older Waterman's Memorial drawbridge that carries MD 18. That is our way in from Federalsburg, about thirty four miles. Our Federalsburg yard has been sending crews into Queen Anne's County for three generations.
Paving next to tidal water
Chester sits about six and a half feet above sea level with tidal water on two sides. Kent Narrows itself started out shallow and marshy and has been dredged since 1876 to stay open. The county's own assessments describe low lying ground, high seasonal water tables and poor draining soils across this area, and tidal flooding at the Narrows is nothing new. Storm tides have forced evacuations here going back to Hurricane Hazel in 1954.
All of that lands on your pavement. Water sitting under the base is the enemy, so we build open drainage under the surface and shape the top so rain runs off rather than pooling in the middle of the lot. Commercial sites here also take boat trailers and delivery trucks at the same time, which is a heavier load than the parking looks like it carries. Once the surface is right, parking lot striping keeps the trailers and the cars out of each other's way.
What we handle here
What we build in Chester
Parking Lot Paving
Kent Narrows is seafood and restaurant country, with marinas, boat ramps and businesses that go from quiet to packed in a weekend. Those lots need a base built for trailers and delivery trucks and drainage that copes with a hard rain on high tide. Our parking lot paving in Chester is built for that swing in traffic.
Driveway Paving
Most Chester homes went up after the Bay Bridge opened in 1952, and the growth has not stopped since. Those drives often serve a boat as well as two cars. We build the base for the heaviest thing that sits on it and finish the edges properly. Our driveway paving in Chester is sized to the household, not to a standard.
Pot Hole Repair
In a marina or restaurant lot, a pothole is a hazard in the dark and a complaint waiting to happen. We cut it square, deal with the wet material underneath and compact the patch so it does not sink again. Our pot hole repair at the Narrows is usually a same visit fix.
Sealcoating
Salt air, summer sun and winter freeze work on island asphalt from every direction. Sealing a surface every few years keeps water out of the small cracks and keeps a commercial lot looking looked after. Our sealcoating in Chester can be scheduled out of hours for businesses at the Narrows.
Why Chester calls us
Why Chester owners call Robert and Son
Because we have been building on wet Eastern Shore ground for three generations and we are still the same family doing it. Third generation, out of Federalsburg, with Bob answering the phone. We do not guess at what the water is doing under a site. We dig it and find out, then build accordingly.
Licensed in Maryland under MHIC #74385, BBB A plus accredited since 2018, two year warranty on everything, free estimates, residential and commercial. We work Monday through Saturday. If a lot or drive is sound underneath but rough on top, our resurfacing work is the cheaper honest answer and we will say so.
Where you will see us around Chester
The Narrows is the center of it, with the US 50 and 301 bridge overhead and MD 18 running through the restaurants, marinas and shops below. The Cross Island Trail ends there too, six and a half miles of old Queen Anne's Railroad bed running across the island from Terrapin Park, with parking at Castle Marina Road and Old Love Point Park.
Away from the water we work the residential streets that fill the middle of the island, where homes built from the 1960s onward have drives now on their second or third surface. On those, catching the cracks early matters, and our asphalt crack sealing keeps a good drive from becoming a rebuild.
Where we work
Driveways and lots we lay in Chester
We cover Chester, Kent Narrows and the rest of Kent Island, including Stevensville at the Bay Bridge end, plus upper Shore towns like Sudlersville up MD 313.
Ask a paving contractor
Straight answers about asphalt paving on the Eastern Shore
Is Chester too far for you to come?
No. It is about thirty four miles from our Federalsburg yard, up MD 313 and MD 404 to US 50 and over the Narrows. We work Queen Anne’s County regularly and the estimate is free.
Can you pave a marina or restaurant lot in Chester?
Yes. Those lots take boat trailers and delivery trucks, so we build a heavier base than the parking looks like it needs, and we set the drainage for a hard rain on a high tide.
What makes Chester pavement fail early?
Water under the base. On ground this low, a shallow base holds moisture, and one freeze after that is enough to start the damage. Building the base to drain is the whole game here.
Can you stripe a lot without repaving it?
Yes. If the surface is sound we can lay out and repaint the whole thing, including accessible spaces, arrows and fire lanes. It is a quick way to make a lot look cared for.
Do you work around business hours at Kent Narrows in Chester?
We do. Weekends are your busiest time, so we phase the work and can start early or work midweek to keep your lot open when it matters.
How long is your warranty?
Two years on all work. We are licensed in Maryland under MHIC number 74385 and have been BBB A plus accredited since 2018. The business has been running for three generations.