Annual Paving Program

What to expect: Description of road treatments

Crack Sealing - Crack sealing is the placement of a sealant material into cracks of an existing pavement surface to prevent excess water and moisture from penetrating the asphalt. This is a preventative measure to keep the road from deteriorating further. Crack Sealing can be done. as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with other treatments listed below.

Fog Seal - A fog seal is a thin liquid layer applied to the surface of a paved road in relatively good condition. The intent of this treatment is to seal the pavement, rejuvenate, restore the wearing surface and provide resistance to deterioration due to the weather and sun. Subsequent to a Fog Seal the cracks are sealed with a liquid asphalt sealer. This treatment will extend the life of the pavement. This is classified aspreventive maintenance.

Microsurfacing - A Microsurface is a thin layer (3/8”) preventative maintenance treatment applied to an existing paved surface in either one or two layers. This treatment adds a tough wearing coat that will seal and protect the existing pavement and give it a new friction course. Crack sealing is applied to the pavement prior to Microsurfacing. For the work some of the cast iron structures in the street will be adjusted to final grade prior to application if deemed necessary. Minor pothole patching and other pavement repairs are done prior to installation of this treatment. This treatment is done in two applications. The second application will usually occur the day after the first application.

Mill and Overlay - The existing pavement has 0.5 to 2 inches of the surface ground off. This treatment removes the existing deteriorated wearing surface and leaves the substructure intact. Then the installation of new pavement follows the Overlay description above. It is not uncommon for two layers to be installed after milling of the pavement.

Shim Course - A shim course is a temporary measure used in locations where the roadway is in a state of failure but additional utility work is required before a permanent roadway surface is completed. This utility work is currently scheduled and prioritized for these locations, so the shim course is stop gap measure used to provide adequate service to drivers until the utility work is complete. As a temporary measure this treatment will not trigger a moratorium as the other treatments do and roadway cuts will be allowed through a Street Opening Permit. If you have utility work on a shim course street please consider completing before the permanent roadway surface is applied.

Cold-In-Place Recycling - Cold-in-place recycling is a preservation technique for reusing the existing road material to create a new roadway surface. The old road is ground up, mixed with some additives, and immediately placed back down on the road. Additives are based off a specific mix design created in a lab, and typically no new asphalt mix is required for this treatment. After one week a wearing surface will be put on top of the new road, typically a microsurface treatment and it will look very similar to a typical paved surface. All structures (catch basins, manholes, and water and gas gates) will have to be reset for this treatment. 

Reclamation - This treatment is intended for a roadway that has outlived it useful life. It is considered to be the most aggressive resurfacing treatment. The entire pavement structure is completely pulverized to depth of 14” to 20”. Most of the pulverized material is reused as a subbase for the asphalt paving. Additional material may be required to be blended in the subbase to meet specifications. After the subbase is installed a minimum of 4” of asphalt is installed in multiple layers.