Paving in Mexia, TX driveways and culverts done to city rules

Paving in Mexia: what’s different here

Mexia, about 45 minutes east of Waco on US 84, went from about 3,500 people to nearly 35,000 almost overnight in the 1920s oil boom. Today it’s a town of about 7,000, with Lake Mexia on the Navasota River about seven miles southwest of town and farm and ranch country all around.

Mexia has the clearest driveway culvert rules of any town we serve. A new driveway with a culvert needs a city permit and a site plan showing the driveway’s width and length and the culvert’s diameter and length. The culvert has to be galvanized steel, sized by the city’s Building Inspector. The owner buys the pipe and the city schedules installation; the permit is $35. On state roads inside the city, including Hwy 14 and US 84, TxDOT handles the permit instead.

Limestone County’s clays are low-strength and shrink-swell with very slow permeability, so the base and culvert matter more than what goes on top.

Before you pave in Mexia

• A new driveway with a culvert needs a Mexia driveway/culvert permit and a site plan.
• Culverts must be galvanized steel, sized by the city’s Building Inspector.
• On state roads inside city limits (Hwy 14, US 84, SH 39 and some FM roads), TxDOT issues the permit.
• Slow-draining clay means the base needs extra care.