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County judge highlights new "road forging" process as road standard after chip-seal year
Summary
The county judge reported a new road-surface process—referred to as "road forging"—that applies an oil-based fog seal over chip-seal roads, praising the road department and vendor Ergon Asphalts and Emulsions for the work on Black Oak Road and saying the county aims to make the process its new standard.
In his report the County Judge described a new pavement process the county is piloting, which he referred to as "road forging." The approach, as explained at the meeting, applies a fog-seal or oil-based product over existing chip-seal surfaces to improve durability, reduce dust and enhance aesthetics. The judge credited county road staff and vendor Ergon Asphalts and Emulsions for work on Black Oak Road and said the county completed about 200 miles of chip seal in the prior year as a necessary, cost-driven measure.
The judge said the new treatment will be striped with center and fog lines and that the county has been adding reflectors on some roads; he invited other justices to drive Black Oak Road to inspect the result. The report framed last year as a year of quantity to restore pavement life and this year as a year of quality with new treatments intended to extend the life of surfaces without moving to full asphalt, which the judge noted is roughly three times the price of chip seal.
Why it matters: The change could affect maintenance budgets, the look and performance of county roads and local residents' experience of dust and road quality.
Ending: The county judge said Black Oak Road would be striped the following day and encouraged justices to see the pilot work in person.
