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Engineers report oil 'bleeding' on Norfolk's 2026 chip-seal project; council seeks answers
Summary
City staff told the Norfolk City Council that 1.5–2% of chip-seal segments showed oil "bleeding" to the surface, prompting an investigation with the DOT and a written report to the infrastructure subcommittee next week; residents described vehicle damage and safety concerns during public comment.
Steve, the city's street/engineering presenter, told the council the 2026 chip-seal project has performed well overall but that about "1 and a half to 2%" of segments have not gone as planned and are showing what he called "bleeding and or floating of the oil." He said the city shot oil on each segment one time during the week of June 15 and later added chips on some segments every "2 or 3 days" to try to embed aggregate and limit continued floating.
"Exactly why is what we don't know, but that's essentially what happened," Steve said, describing the condition as oil that "bled through or floated to the surface." He said the aggregate is embedded in the oil and that from a seal perspective the final pavement mat is still sound.
Steve told the council the city engaged Jabro, the oil supplier that serves a five-state region, and planned to visit the state DOT asphalt research program for additional analysis. He said the oil used is a cut oil "cut with diesel and jet fuel" that typically sets within an hour but that a small portion may take "2 or 3 weeks" to set.
He said the contractor had two sweepers for cleanup but that one sweeper was totaled in an accident, which slowed sweeping activity; Steve expected final sweeping to be followed by restriping "probably next week." He also acknowledged localized damage to some storm-sewer inlet lids and said the city will hire a local storm sewer contractor to repair them, with an expected completion by the end of July.
Mayor Clawson and other council members said they and constituents had received many phone calls about the project. "I think everybody's a lot of the council have taken a lot of phone calls," the mayor said, pressing for a written report; Steve said he will present written findings to the infrastructure subcommittee next Monday and that he will provide a written report that can be brought to full council.
During public comment, a resident who identified themself (Speaker 4) said they spent "2 hours taking the car off my light truck" after driving on treated streets and urged the council to look into prorating a side-by-side licensing fee, stronger enforcement of electric minibike rules, and fuller repairs to a street in Dover. Brad Brooks, another resident, praised event planning but urged a cleanup policy for fireworks debris that can wash into storm drains.
Why it matters: chip sealing is a lower-cost pavement preservation option the city expects to continue using; staff said the technique can extend pavement life by roughly 10 years and remains part of the city's maintenance strategy, but the council demanded answers about process deviations and public impacts. The infrastructure subcommittee will receive Steve's written findings next week, and the council expected follow-up at a future meeting.
The city did not offer a final root-cause determination at the meeting; Steve said additional testing and DOT consultation are underway and that any further corrective or contractual actions would be discussed after those findings are reviewed.
