As the weather continues to improve and trees begin to bloom, so too blooms our annual road repair and public works projects across the borough. This year, the borough will be attempting to repair, repave, and refurbish almost 13 miles of roadway on over 40 different roadways.
Unlike previous years, the focus will not be a on full road and utility replacement. This year we will be focusing on extending the life of roadways through micro-surfacing, crack & seal work, and the addition of Nova Chip application.
Micro-surfacing has been used across the borough for years to great effect. It creates a protective layer on the roadway which preserves the underlying structure of the road. The improved surface prevents deterioration, water penetration as well as subbase failure. In short, it assures that the roadway does not weaken with exposure to sun, rain, and vehicular traffic. This preventative measure lessens the need for more extensive and expensive repairs in the future. Additionally, micro-surfacing sets quickly minimizing road closures and detour routes within the borough.
The net result is seemingly newly “paved” road without the headache.
In comparison, other roads will be getting a newer approach to extending and improving the existing road. Nova Chip is like micro-surfacing in that a thin layer of product is placed on top of the existing roadway. It also has the added protection of a thin layer of small stone that coats the roadway. This addition is to handle higher traffic volume which usually leads to more wear and tear. Like micro-surfacing, Nova Chip repair can extend the life of a roadway by over 10 years. It is our hope that the Nova Chip work will be covered by ARPA funds that have been allocated to Lansdale Borough.
Inevitably, all the roads that receive micro-surfacing or Nova Chip applications will need to be re-paved and/or rebuilt in the future. These products, critically, buy us time to allocate funds to make sure we can do these larger, and much more expensive, repairs across the borough. If fully executed, the 2022 paving plan would be one of the largest repairs schedules the borough has ever undertaken on our roadways and represents a critical investment in improving crucial infrastructure that makes Lansdale a better place to live, work, and play and keeps all of us moving forward together.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Lt. Gov. John Fetterman to Make Campaign Stop in Lansdale Wednesday
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Mayoral Musings: Lansdale Police Annual Report Preview
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