Maintenance Strategies

MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES

There are several methods to maintain the quality and life of paved roadways. Depending on the condition of the road will determine the maintenance strategy. Below are some methods commonly used by El Paso County to maintain asphalt:

CRACK SEAL

In El Paso County, every paved road has cracks, with the exception of roads that were recently paved. Asphalt, like concrete, tends to shrink as it ages, causing it to crack. Crack Seal is the process of sealing cracks in roads with a hot polymer/rubberized bitumen sealant. The sealant prevents moisture and debris from getting into cracks and also reduces water damage to pavement structure.

The best time to seal cracks is when the ground temperature is around 40 degrees. This is when the asphalt has contracted due to the cold, and the cracks are the widest. Crack sealing is ineffective when the ground is wet since the material used will not stick. Warm weather is also not the best time to seal cracks because it causes cracks to expand so that once the weather cools, the material will not stretch but rather split, ruining the seal.

Another warm weather problem is that the material takes a long time to set. Because of this, the crew has to close the roads for longer periods of time to avoid the crack sealing material sticking to the tires of passing motorists, causing a breakdown of the seal. If a motorist gets crack seal material stuck to their tires, an "orange" type cleaner or WD-40 can help get it off.

Crack seal slows the deterioration process of cracks and extends the life of the road by 3 to 5 years.

CHIP SEAL:

El Paso County has 225 centerline miles of chip sealed roads. Chip Seal is a two-step process that involves first applying asphalt emulsion and then a layer of crushed rock to an existing asphalt pavement surface. The chip seal process improves surface friction on the road and slows surface raveling and oxidation. Chip sealing can extend the service life by 5 to 7 years, delaying the need for resurfacing by 2 to 4 years.

MILL & ASPHALT OVERLAY:

Mill and Asphalt Overlay involves grinding up the existing asphalt and base material, removing it, and applying new pavement. The process can provide a new waterproof surface and helps to mitigate surface raveling. By sealing up small cracks, it can improve the ride quality and correct surface irregularities. Depending on the thickness, mill and asphalt overlay can extend the pavement life by 8 to 14 years.

TOTAL RECONSTRUCTION:

A Total Reconstruction involves removing the asphalt, replacing the subbase, and possibly removing and replacing the associated concrete, such as the curb gutter and sidewalk. The service life of a reconstructed road will be 20 years. But if not maintained, it will only have a service life of 16 years.

Please visit the Department of Public Works’ Construction and Maintenance Page for more information on current projects: https://publicworks.elpasoco.com/roadbridge/construction-maintenance-projects/. The schedule for construction and maintenance projects are subject to change due to weather or resource availability.