How much does a concrete driveway cost in Louisiana?

Published Louisiana figures put a plain concrete driveway at about $6 to $12 per square foot. The average two-car driveway is about 640 square feet, per a national concrete trade site. At those rates, that is roughly $3,840 to $7,680 before tear-out or work at the street.

A ZIP-code calculator set to Lafayette priced a 24 by 24 driveway at $4,456 to $5,331 in September 2026. That is the basic job, before digging and the gravel base. These are market numbers, not our price list. For how we pour one, see our concrete driveway page.

What do cost guides say a concrete driveway costs in Louisiana?

Here are the published ranges we found, with the kind of source and the date.

The Baton Rouge page dates from 2024. The Lafayette figure is a basic job on an easy site.

What drives the price of a concrete driveway?

Square footage sets the starting point. These pieces move the price from there.

• Thickness. Cost guides price a standard 4-inch slab, which carries cars and SUVs. For heavy trucks or an RV, guides call for 5 to 8 inches. A 5-inch slab takes a quarter more concrete than a 4-inch slab. Where a public sidewalk crosses a driveway, the Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) calls for 6 inches or more. For a separate RV pad, see what a concrete slab costs in Louisiana.
• Rebar or wire mesh. On the Baton Rouge page, reinforcement adds about $1 per square foot. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) says reinforcement cannot prevent cracking. Placed at the right depth, it can keep crack widths smaller.
• The apron and a culvert. The apron is the strip of driveway that meets the road. A national guide puts an apron at $1,530 to $4,320 and a culvert at $1,500 to $5,000. The city or parish that owns the road sizes the culvert.
• The permit. LCG requires every driveway to be permitted, through a driveway permit or a building permit. LCG Public Works approves the culvert’s pipe size and grade, and the smallest pipe allowed is 15 inches. Other towns set their own fees, as the table shows.
• Access. The ZIP-code calculator assumes easy site conditions. A narrow gate or a long run to a back garage means more labor. A national guide puts labor at about half the bill.
• The concrete itself. A 24 by 24 driveway at 4 inches takes a little over 7 cubic yards. At $120 to $210 per cubic yard, that is about $850 to $1,500 in concrete alone. The federal producer price index for ready-mix concrete rose about 39 percent from January 2020 to January 2026.
• Base work. The NRMCA calls for stripping out topsoil and soft spots, then compacting the ground under the slab. The Lafayette calculator figure leaves that work out.

What does concrete driveway replacement cost?

A replacement costs more than a new pour because the old slab comes out first. A cost guide’s Baton Rouge page adds $1.20 to $2.00 per square foot for demolition. A national guide gives $2 to $6 per square foot for tear-out and disposal.

On a 24 by 24 driveway, the Baton Rouge rate adds about $690 to $1,150. The top national rate adds about $3,460. Where the driveway crosses a roadside ditch, a new culvert may be part of the job. One of our own job photos shows a driveway torn out with a new culvert set.

Sometimes only part of the driveway has to go. When a driveway is cracked and sinking at the street, that section can be saw-cut out and re-poured. Our page on concrete removal and replacement covers the tear-out.

Why do driveways crack and sink in Acadiana?

All concrete tends to crack, the NRMCA says. Its list of common causes starts with missing or badly placed joints and poor subgrade prep. The subgrade is the ground the slab sits on, and here that ground is often wet.

Much of Lafayette sits on silt loams, and some of them stay wet. The federal NRCS soil survey rates Frost silt loam as poorly drained. Its official description puts the wet layer 0 to 1.5 feet down from December through April in most years. Around Crowley, Crowley silt loam is saturated at 0.5 to 1.5 feet down from December to April in normal years.

Along Bayou Teche, around Breaux Bridge and New Iberia, more of the ground is clay. Iberia silty clay and Sharkey clay rate very high for shrink-swell. The NRCS says soils that shrink and swell can damage roads and other structures.

Then comes the rain. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals give the Lafayette airport about 63 inches of rain a year. The NRMCA says the slab and the ground under it should slope for drainage. Where water stands beside a driveway, yard drainage can carry it off.

Joints matter too. For a 4-inch slab, the NRMCA spacing works out to control joints every 8 to 12 feet. Those joints give shrinkage cracks a place to land.

How long does a concrete driveway last?

One national cost guide puts a concrete driveway at 25 to 30 years with proper upkeep. Another gives 30 to 40 years. The base and the water around the slab both play a part.

More than half of Lafayette’s housing was built from 1960 to 1989, by Census estimates. A first driveway on one of those homes would be 37 years old or more in 2026.

How do you get a real price for your driveway?

Published ranges help you plan. Your own price depends on the size, the old slab, the ground and the street in front. RockSolid Contracting is based in Lafayette and works about an hour around it, out to Baton Rouge.

We look at the job, or you send photos, and we put the quote in writing. Call or text (337) 520-8615. You can also read how we build new driveways and replacements first.