Your local pothole may soon be filled.
The summer road work season is under way in unincorporated Snohomish County areas with paving or chip sealing planned for a total of 107 miles of roadway.
By the end of October, Snohomish will see the most road miles treated with paving or chip sealing, at 14.86 miles, followed closely by Monroe at 14.34 miles. Eastmont will see the most roads get attention, at 24 locations.
Chip seal work is scheduled to start July 6 on 72 county roads, starting in south Snohomish County and ending in the Darrington area in September.
In all, 93 miles of roadway across the county will get a new layer of asphalt and embedded aggregate. The “chip seal” method is a cost-effective way to extend the usable life of a road by 7 to 10 years.
After south county locations, Snohomish County Public Works crews will move to the Monroe area, then Snohomish, Machias, Lake Stevens and Granite Falls, before heading northwest and ending the season in the Darrington area.
Roads will be reduced to one lane during construction. A temporary speed limit of 20 mph will be posted the week following road work to minimize the likelihood of loose, flying chips. Traffic fines are double in work areas.
The work will involve about 12,000 tons of asphalt.
Meanwhile, the county has already started paving work that will continue into October. Where necessary, sidewalk ramps will be upgraded to meet current American with Disabilities Act requirements.
The paving program focuses on preserving pavement while it is still in fair condition by placing a new layer of asphalt over the existing asphalt.
A typical asphalt road has a serviceable life of 15 to 30 years depending upon location, traffic volumes, weather, and heavy vehicle usage. Paving work will be completed by contractors Watson Asphalt and Granite Construction.
Among the current paving projects, expect delays during night paving on 35th Avenue SE between Highway 96 to 116th Street SE. Night paving on 35th is scheduled for 8 p.m.-5 a.m. July 6-10. Delays could last up to 20 minutes.
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your name and city of residence. Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog.
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