Crews are close to completing this year’s asphalt preventative maintenance project. Like vehicle maintenance, preventative maintenance is performed on roads to help keep newer pavements in better shape and to prevent more rapid deterioration that would require significantly more expensive repairs, such as repaving. This recent project involved a scrub/chip seal, with application areas including 200 N (from I-15 to Angel St), portions of Hess Farms, and parts of the neighborhood west of Fairfield and north of Crestwood.
A scrub seal consists of multiple phases: 1) cleaning the road and filling large cracks; 2) spraying an adhesive oil onto the roadway and forcing that oil into smaller cracks with scrubbing brushes; 3) laying a layer of small aggregate onto the oil; 4) compacting the gravel with rollers and vehicle traffic; 5) sweeping away loose aggregate; 6) spraying a final fog coat on top of the gravel; and 7) reapplying road paint.
The application of this type of preventative maintenance is admittedly more impactful than other options (the process takes 1-2 weeks compared to 3-5 days for others). In the first year after application, the road surface is notably coarser than before, but the long-term results are why it is used by many cities in Davis County. Chip seals are about one-eighth the cost of repaving a road, and in Kaysville, we’ve seen them last anywhere from 10 to 15 years, with the chip seal weathering rather than the more expensive pavement below. For example, the rate to chip seal 200 N this year was $3.04 per square yard, while the cost to repave west 200 N was $38.25 per square yard. Experience with other preventative maintenance applications has shown them to last anywhere from 3 to 6 years, depending on the type, and they are relatively similar in cost.
Each year, the City undertakes paving projects, utility replacement projects, preventative maintenance projects, curb and sidewalk projects, etc. While we’ve made significant progress since 2018, there are still many roads in town that deserve attention but have not yet been addressed. A road not being worked on doesn’t mean the City has determined it isn’t important; rather, we must prioritize and plan around other projects or problems that arise. Limitations on budget and bandwidth to manage and inspect these various projects restrict how much work can be done in a given year, and with over 130 miles of road in Kaysville, this makes the process slower than we’d all like to see.
These and other projects are impactful and can be frustrating at times. We appreciate the patience of the community as we continue to look for ways to preserve and protect infrastructure while trying to stretch these funds as far as we can.