Snohomish County has started on its to-do list of summer paving and chip seal roadwork.
It’s about a month ahead of last year’s work, due to an increased list of 2017 patchwork jobs that need initial prep work done this year.
In all, 13 miles of county roads are set to be paved. More than seven times that will get chip seal work, or be prepared for the patching job that adds up to a decade of life to tire-worn asphalt.
The Monroe and Stanwood areas will see the most road miles of work, at more than 20 miles each.
Paving will last until October on 50 streets across the county. In each case, contractors will add a new layer of asphalt over the existing one. Where necessary, sidewalk ramps will be upgraded to meet current requirements (think of those yellow plastic bumps).
The bulk of the roads on the paving schedule are in south Snohomish County.
Meanwhile, crews will pre-level or chip seal about 96 miles of 107 county roads, about evenly split between north and south Snohomish County.
About 65 miles of the targeted roads need a leveling layer of asphalt to smooth out rough or uneven sections before chip sealing can begin. Leveling work began in April, starting in the north and working south. Some of those roads will get chip seal work this season, while others will have to wait until 2017 for the finishing touches.
Chip sealing is set to start in mid-June, starting in the south and working north. The work is expected to wrap up by mid-September, but that depends on fair weather for the fussy material. Crews can only lay the initial layer of asphalt oil if it’s warm and dry.
The work continues even after you see the fancy equipment disappear.
Chips are pressed into place by a roller and the road can be used right away, but the seal improves only with time and routine. So a 20 mph speed limit will be in place the week following each patch job to minimize loose, flying chips.
Keep in mind, fines are double in work zones.
The work has started about a month earlier than last year’s paving and sealing.
“In past years, our resurfacing program schedule has been aligned with the beginning of chip seal work. However, this year we have included a larger amount of pre-leveling work in preparation for the 2017 chip sealing program,” said Doug McCormick, the county’s interim director of Transportation and Environmental Services.
To get more information and to see a map of roads on the schedule for paving or chip sealing, go to www.snohomish countywa.gov/resurfacing.
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