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County to Resurface 110 Miles of Roads
Each year Snohomish County resurfaces and repairs roads based on an evaluation of the entire road network. This year the county, together with partnering cities, will repair, preserve or resurface 108 miles of county roadways and about two miles of city streets in Arlington, Woodway and Brier.
"Preserving the taxpayers' investment in roads requires regular maintenance," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "The county works with cities in order to reduce costs, especially for the purchase of asphalt."
The county applies a thin overlay, a thick overlay, or a chip seal. Each method is described below:
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Thin overlay: About an inch of asphalt on residential streets marred by potholes and minor deterioration (applied by county road crews).
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Thick overlays: 2-3 inches of asphalt on moderately to severely deteriorated arterials and residential streets (applied by private contractors).
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Chip Seals: Streets are pre-leveled with hot asphalt and then covered with a layer of asphalt oil, followed by a layer of crushed rock (applied by county road crews). This extends the usable life of a road by seven to 10 years and at a minimal cost.
"This work requires the crews to grind up the old asphalt," noted Gossett. "In the past it was hauled away. Now we are able to save time and money reusing it as part of the new road base."
Thirteen miles of the 110 will be repaired with a thick overlay. Another 95 miles of roadway will receive a chip seal or thin overlay. Chip sealing will begin in south county mid-August. Overlay work should begin by July 1. Typically, crews are in and out of any given location within a week to lessen impacts on residents and businesses. All work associated with the 2009 contract has been awarded to Lakeside Industries.
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