A chip seal is a preventative pavement maintenance treatment that combines one or more layers of asphalt emulsion (a mix of liquid asphalt, surfactant, and water) with one or more layers of fine aggregate. The County utilizes chip seal treatments annually to preserve roads already in good condition by sealing out water and preventing cracks from forming through the underlying pavement. Chip seals are significantly cheaper to install than traditional pavement overlays, and when properly installed and maintained chip seals can last 7-10 years or more.

Chip seal work is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 4th. Once the initial chip seal work is completed, County crews will sweep affected roads of remaining loose chips and apply a protective fog seal topcoat. The entire process will be completed by early September.

Temporary delays should be expected during the chip seal process. While roads may be driven shortly after work is complete, speeds should be kept slow when driving on freshly chip sealed roads. High speeds can cause newly applied chips to dislodge and fly and fresh asphalt to splatter. Bicycles and motorcyclists should also use extra caution due to loose chips. The roadways surface will improve over several weeks as the surface stabilizes, loose chips are swept away and the fog seal coat is applied.

County Public Works Maintenance staff will perform the chip seal work on approximately 17 miles of road that includes:

McCourtney Road from Lime Kiln Road to Perimeter Road
Perimeter Road from McCourtney Road to Cabrera Road
La Barr Meadows Road from Highway 49 to Dog Bar Road
Dog Bar Road from Wheeler Cross Road to Lorie Drive
Wheeler Acres Road (all)
Rattlesnake Road (all)
Banner Mountain Trails from the end of existing pavement to Bandolier Way
Birchville Road (all)
Purdon Road from Tyler Foote Road to Murphy Road