Sheet asphalt placed on a concrete base (foundation) became popular during the mid-1800s with the first such pavement of this type being built in Paris in 1858. The first such pavement placed in the U.S. was in Newark, New Jersey, in 1870.

When did cities start paving streets?

By the mid-19th century, cities began in earnest to start paving their streets. The first material used in cities along the east coast were cobblestones, naturally rounded stones that were used as ship ballast and deposited on a local wharf as the ship's hold was filled with export materials.

Who used the first paved roads and when?

Ancient Babylonians began paving the way of the future for millennia to come. The first recorded asphalt road was built in Babylon during the reign of King Nabopolassar. The ancient Greeks used asphalt in various construction applications.