The surface, road surface or pavement is the permanent surface material that supports pedestrian and vehicular traffic on a road or path. In the past, pebbles and cobblestones were used, but these were replaced by asphalt and concrete, which allow for more comfortable passage and more economical installation, leaving the cobblestones for historical places.

Three basic characteristics are required from current pavements:[1]​.

This poses a serious environmental problem that the pavements in cities pose, their impermeability, which increases the danger of flooding. To avoid this, permeable pavements with drainage have begun to be developed. In addition, road surfaces are usually painted with horizontal markings on the ground to guide traffic. The quality of the pavement, its thickness and its roughness depend on the classification of the road and the traffic it supports, being in some countries determined by technical regulations, such as Spain.[2]​.

Asphalt (specifically, asphalt concrete) has been widely used since the 1920s. Its viscous nature makes it possible to manufacture a material with a significant ability to resist plastic deformation from cyclic traffic loads. These cycles, however, are generally the reason for fatigue failure of the material. Most asphalt surfaces rest on a layer of gravel or gravel. In areas rich in clay and silt, stabilization with portand cement is sometimes used to improve the base. Polypropylene and geosynthetic polyester are also used for this purpose.[3]​ In some northern countries a layer of polystyrene is used to prevent ice from entering the base layer.[4]​.

Depending on the temperature applied, asphalt is categorized into Hot Mix Asphalt, Warm Mix Bituminous or Cold Mix Bituminous.

The advantages of a paved road are noise reduction (compared to other types of pavement), lower cost than other options[8]​ and easy repair. Disadvantages include less durability than other methods, less strength than concrete, a tendency to soften in very hot locations, and a greater amount of soil contamination due to the use of hydrocarbons.

In the 1960s, rubber asphalt was used for the first time, mixing asphalt with shavings from tires. This type of asphalt has several advantages: It allows tires (which are also flammable) to be used by removing them from landfills, it reduces the noise of vehicles passing by between 7 and 12 dB compared to conventional asphalt, and rubber asphalt also lasts longer than conventional asphalt. However, the application of rubber asphalt is more sensitive to temperatures and in some places it can only be applied at very specific times of the year.