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Public works director explains microsurfacing after aldermen raise resident complaints about new street treatments
Summary
Aldermen asked why recent street work looks uneven and how long residents should avoid driving on new treatments; Public Works explained the city’s oil-and-chip and microsurfacing programs and noted cost pressures on asphalt and concrete.
Aldermen pressed Public Works on Aug. 12 about recent street treatments after constituents reported ruts, uneven surfaces and premature driving on newly treated streets.
Alderman Carlson said he had received “a handful of calls” from residents who expected an overlay but saw microsurfacing or oil-and-chip treatments. Director Dave Fuchs told the committee the project before the council was the city’s oil-and-chip (chip seal) program and is distinct from asphalt overlays.
“Microsurfacing… pours over the surface of the existing pavement. It’s generally about a quarter of an inch thick,” Fuchs said. He described microsurfacing as a liquid material used primarily on low-traffic streets — cul-de-sacs and end-of-line streets — to seal and preserve pavements that are basically in good condition, not to reconstruct or provide an overlay-quality smoothness.
Fuchs acknowledged some public complaints and said application is a dynamic process: “One of the keys when you do an overlay is that somebody not drive on it for the first hour, hour and a half… We do run into some problems with that.” He also noted materials-cost pressure: recent increases in cement and asphalt prices have pushed microsurfacing and curb-and-gutter costs higher, making microsurfacing a cost-effective preservation option compared with full overlays.
Aldermen suggested better resident communications explaining the difference between microsurfacing and overlays and asked staff to follow up on locations where the material was applied too thinly. Alderman Hanauer and others urged pictures or notices to set resident expectations before crews arrive.
The committee approved the underlying FY26 paving/overlay contract item on consent after the discussion; aldermen asked staff to return to residents with further explanation and to revisit areas where application appeared inadequate.
