6/28/2011
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
UPDATE: State Street seal coat may finish early
BOISE - Good news for drivers - the portion of seal coating on State Street (Idaho 44) from Glenwood to the Idaho 55 junction may finish early. Crews started on Monday morning just after the morning commute on this project, and are planning on working this evenng in an attempt to finish that portion of the project early.
If all goes well tonight (Tuesday, June 28), crews will then move north to the overhead message sign on Idaho 55 and work south toward that Idaho 55 and Idaho 44 junction at State Street. It is expected to take three to four days to finish that segment. Work on Horseshoe Bend Hill will follow.
It is the first of several seal coats on roadway surfaces throughout the southwest Idaho region this summer.
The seal coat will extend the life of the roadway and provide greater traction for motorists. ITD reminds drivers that wait times, usually no more than 15 minutes, will by necessity to extended to 25 minutes or more in the area when the seal coat is applied. It needs to set up properly before traffic is returned to the surface in order to last as long as possible. If drivers get impatient and drive on the new surface too soon, it can rut the surface and subtract years from the usefulness of the project.
Speed limits will be reduced. Traffic will
be controlled by lane closures, lane restrictions or pilot cars.
Motorists can expect delays of up to 20 minutes.
A 14-mile seal
coat is also planned on Idaho 55, between Zachary Road in McCall and
Boulder Creek Bridge in Donnelly in mid-July. A 28-mile seal coat will
follow on Idaho 71 from the Snake River Bridge at Brownlee Dam in
Hell’s Canyon to the U.S. 95 junction in Cambridge later that month.
The sequence of those two seal coats could be switched by the contractor, though.
Crews
will work a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekday schedule on these projects. Work
is not anticipated on the weekends, but is not prohibited except near
McCall. On Idaho 55, crews can only work Monday through Friday and have
to be off the road by noon on Fridays. Crews can’t work on the weekends
due to the heavy recreational and tourism interests in that area during
the summer months.
Seal coating begins by applying a layer of
asphalt, then a cover coat of gravel on the roadway surface. The
highway is rolled and traffic allowed on to the roadway to help pack
the surface before "brooming" or sweeping to remove excess gravel. All
brooming will be done at night on all projects. Multiple broomings are
performed on successive nights at each project site to remove excess
loose rock chips from the driving surface.
A properly
applied seal coat can add several years of service to a heavily
traveled roadway by sealing the surface and adding roughness for winter
traction.
The work is done during the day to allow the heat to
help asphalt and rock bond more quickly to the roadway surface,
providing a higher-quality finished product.
Snake River Construction, of Kimberly, Idaho, is the contractor on this $700,000 project.
In August, seal coats are also planned for the Notus, Parma, Murphy and Nampa areas under a separate contract.