Longview officials cite porous-asphalt problems on North McCann; TxDOT removing rough sections, city engineer to monitor chip-seal project

Concerns about porous-asphalt repairs on North McCann between Fairmont and The Loop drew discussion at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, with council members asking for an explanation and assurances of oversight for upcoming pavement projects.

Council Member Jody Berryhill and Council Member Sydney Allen noted problems at turning movements and intersections where the porous-asphalt surface had become rough. "We had lots of complaints from the public," Allen said, describing areas that required repairs.

City Manager McPhee told the council that TxDOT used a porous asphaltic cement designed for long stretches without turning movements and that the material did not perform as expected at intersections. "The aggregate that they used in the porous ... asphaltic cement is something they use mostly on long stretches of roadways where they don't have turning movements," McPhee said. "They came in and take out sections of that to remove those rough areas. Now it's consistently kind of a milled area, so there's a little roughness to it, but it's not near what it was. And they do have plans to come back and address that."

Council members also raised oversight for an upcoming chip-seal program (referenced as the 02/2025 chip seal). The council was told an assigned city engineer will monitor the work. "We do have a city engineer that's gonna be watching that project," Berryhill said, naming Zach Shaner as the engineer assigned to the effort.

The discussion recorded no formal vote; council members sought assurances that city staff will continue to press TxDOT on corrective work and that the chip-seal project will have city engineering oversight to limit quality issues.

No specific schedule or funding change was announced; McPhee said he expects TxDOT to return to address remaining rough areas and the city will track progress through its engineering staff.