Chipsealing: Why and How does the City Of Grand Junction Do It?[VIDEO]

The City of Grand Junction is using a process known as Chipseal to make the streets last longer. So what is "Chipsealing" and how is it done?The process know as Chipseal is use to place a protective coating over a roadway to make it last longer, allow for better traction when driving, and to save money on repairs in the long term.

So what are the steps in preparing, sealing and finishing a road surface? The video above shows you some of the steps performed and the machines used to perform them.

First the street is swept, the first of many times during the process. A crew will come along and clean the cracks of dirt and weeds, and then fill them with tar. At a later time a crew will come by to again sweep the streets, street sweepers will sweep the area thoroughly, before chipseal/fogseal activity begins - starting as early as 3:00 a.m. Then a truck is used to coat the surface with a sticky, tar-like substance. After that a machine spreads a thin layer of new, small rocks over the fresh coat of asphalt, also referred to as oil. Approximately 7 - 10 days following the Chipseal, a Fogseal will be applied. Fogseal is a thinner viscosity asphalt that is applied to help set the rock, control dust and make the pavement "black" again. Once the Fogseal has been applied, the roads are returned to service within six hours, the time span depends greatly upon weather conditions and time of day. Once the Fogseal is cured, the Pavement Striping crew will come by and re-stripe the pavement. To make the re-striping easier, the crews will usual attach vinyl tabs to the road where the old striping is located. This speeds up the re-striping process.

Prior to crews arriving in your area, a notice will be placed on your property, so please make alternate parking arrangements. There is to be NO parking on the side of the road on the day of the Chipsealing or Fogsealing, and your vehicle will be towed at your expense, so mark the dates on your calendar.

For more information of the process and anything associated with it, visit the City of Grand Junction's website at gjcity.org. You can see the entire season's schedule here.