Chip Seal Operations

Chip Seal
Chip sealing is a three-step process that starts in early spring.  First, crews will pull ditches and add material to the shoulders where needed.  Next, usually beginning in May, we will start our pre-level work.  This involves adding cold mix and hot mix patches to repair sections of roadway that have been damaged.  These patches need time to cure prior to chip sealing in July.  Chip seal is a thin coat of liquid asphalt that fills in small cracks and seals the surface below.   On top of the liquid asphalt, gravel is applied to provide a wearing layer.  After 5 days of cure time the roads are swept and then striped in August.
How Roads Are Chosen
Every two years, paved county roads are scored and given a Pavement Surface Condition (PSC) rating.  This rating is used to prioritize roads that are deteriorating and schedule them for treatment before more costly repairs are needed.  Currently most of our roads are on a 10 year rotation.
What to Expect
Crews will begin work on the road at 7:00am Monday-Thursday.  Expect 20 min delays with flagger controlled one lane traffic.  Two wheeled vehicles should use extra caution.  Avoid rapid acceleration, the rock will be loose for several days.  We can do between four and five miles per day so many roads will be done in only a few hours.  Our chip seal operation is scheduled to start the Tuesday after the 4th of July holiday.