Comment on Roads

This comment from Michael T was received today in response to my post of Jan.29 see .( http://dpotpourri.blogspot.com/2009/01/state-of-city.html). I am re-posting it today since it explains why preventive taring cracks is a must.

Wayne raises a good point. Seam failures are prevalent throughout this area. Asphalt machines cannot lay asphalt in one pass from curb to curb. Roadways are simply too wide. As a result, the material is laid in passes.

One cause of seam failure is laying asphalt in one long pass, and then returning to make the second pass after the first has cooled. This method saves time (money) for the contractor because the setup and staging is easier.

The result, however, is often a poor joint at the seam between the passes. The cooler asphalt doesn't properly knit together with the hotter material from the new pass.

Proper engineering oversight would assure that the length of each pass is limited, strengthening the bond between the passes.

Seam failure occurs on many of the Union County roads. The County bids their paving projects and usually pushes them through to completion in a short time period. The County wants the road to re-open as quickly as possible, so the contractor paves in extremely long passes, with seam failure occurring within a few years