Ector Co to begin seal coat project

ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Ector County road crews will soon begin a seal coat project to help keep County roads in good condition; this project will include seal coating between 80-90 miles of road.

“This chip seal helps with the cracks in the road so we don’t get moisture under the pavement,” the County said in a news release.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that County roads have fewer pot holes going forward.

Here’s what that process will look like, according to County leaders:

• Crews will first go through and patch any holes in the roads
• Then, crews then lay down the emulation (tar)
• After that, they will lay the chips (gravel) down and roll them into the emulation
• The emulation then needs to set and dry out so that it holds the rocks in place. This could take a few weeks to a month
• Then, crews will re-roll the road and sweep it to get the extra rocks off of the road
• At the end of every road there will be wings that are not covered, the County said it is more efficient to take a day and just do the wings and not stop on every road to do them
• Then, once the excess rocks have been cleared, crews will allow that to sit for about another month to “cure”
• Crews will then fog seal the roads between the end of September and the first few weeks of October
• Lastly, crews will paint center stripes on the road

County leaders said this will refresh the road for about four to five years, when the process will begin again.

“It is hot on those machines, sometimes the crews are working in over 100-degree weather and 200 degrees plus tar. Because of this heat stroke is a real possibility. We give the guys frequent cool down breaks to rehydrate, please understand this when you see them taking a break. Also please be aware of them working while you are driving and slow down so we can keep them safe. Last please try not to spin out on the roads we have just done as this will undo what we are trying to accomplish,” County leaders said.

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