Jefferson County promises more maintenance on new chip and seal roads

FAIRFIELD – Jefferson County’s newly treated chip and seal roads will receive more maintenance in the coming months as the county tries to address problems that arose in mid-June.

Jefferson County Engineer DeWayne Heintz met with the board of supervisors Monday morning, July 7, and spoke about what the secondary roads department is doing to improve Pleasant Plain Road and Old 34 east of Lockridge, a couple of roads that received a new seal coat last month. When the chip and seal was poured on Pleasant Plain Road June 12-13, subsequent rain pushed the oil to the surface and this mixed with the top layer of sand to form a sticky substance that clogged vehicle tire treads and caked the vehicle’s undersides. The roads department announced the following Monday that it would begin washing cars with its hot steamer for free.

Supervisor Lee Dimmitt told Heintz during the July 7 meeting that the chip and seal on Douds Road seemed to be much better, and added that there wouldn’t be many complaints if the other chip and seal roads were as good as Douds Road. Heintz said he had still received complaints from residents about the quality of the chip and seal on Douds Road, with some saying the county had turned it into a “gravel road.”

Heintz told The Union after the meeting that he’s aware Pleasant Plain Road is not in the best condition currently, but that it should improve in the following months as the rocks on top are ground down with each passing car. Heintz said the county doesn’t want too much rock on top because those rocks are a hazard since they can damage windshields.

At their meeting June 23, the supervisors approved lowering the speed limit to 45 mph on the chip and seal roads of Pleasant Plain Road, Douds Road and 110th Street that runs through Pleasant Plain, until Sept. 1. The Union asked Heintz if he thought Pleasant Plain Road would look like a normal county road by Sept. 1, and he said “probably not.”

“It will take time,” Heintz said. “It takes a while for everything to get worked in uniformly, but by Sept. 1 it will be a lot better than it is now, but that’s not a real high bar.”

Heintz said the chip and seal roads will likely remain without a painted centerline until late August or September. He said it’s best to wait until the oil and rock are settled to paint lines since the paint will better maintain its color and reflectivity on a flat, ground-down surface.

Heintz said he’s happy with how the chip and seal turned out on 110th Street through Pleasant Plain, which was the first chip and seal road the county did this summer. He said it has a nice uniform color where the oil, sand and rock have mixed together well. On some chip and seal roads, the worn parts of the road are dark black, indicating oil is leaking and being tracked by car tires, and Heintz encourages motorists to avoid those marks so they don’t get oil on their cars.

Heintz said he understands frustrations with how this summer’s chip and seal project has gone, but wants the public to know his office is addressing the problems that have arisen. He said that chip and seal is an economical way for the county to preserve its asphalt roads, since the treatment costs one-third to one-quarter as much as laying new asphalt.

The full list of roads that will receive or have received new chip and seal this summer is as follows:

110th Street from Highway 1 to West Street in Pleasant Plain (5.4 miles)

Pleasant Plain Road from Fairfield City Limits to 167th Street (3.8 miles)

Douds Road from H43 to Van Buren County line (4.6 miles)

218th Boulevard from W40 to Henry County line (1.6 miles)

Old 34 from Jefferson County line going east of Lockridge (0.8 miles)

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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