San Diego began its next round of street resurfacing this week, focused on the neighborhoods of Kensington, Talmadge, Grantville, San Carlos, North Park, Bay Park and several other communities.
City crews are using two new resurfacing methods, intended to last longer. According to the city, the new slurry-like sealing methods, called cape seal and scrub seal, are commonly used treatments and will help extend the life of roads by filling cracks, protecting against moisture incursion and minimizing the development of potholes and other surface deformities.
"The addition of these new resurfacing methods to the Transportation Department's Pavement Management program will lead to increased, long-lasting improvements for our city's streets," Transportation Department Director Bethany Bezak said in a statement. "While these treatments take a little longer to complete, we know San Diegans will appreciate the results when the roads are in better condition and safer for all users. Our team is focused on using every tool in the toolbelt to address our city's backlog of street repair."
Cape seal treatment involves applying asphalt emulsion followed by a layer of crushed rock that must cure for three days before a slurry seal is applied. Scrub seal treatment also starts by applying asphalt emulsion followed by a layer of crushed rock that is swept into small cracks over the roadway. The asphalt emulsion and crushed rock cure, and is then followed by an application of fog seal.
For both cape and scrub seal applications, the city's contractor will vacuum loose gravel prior to the curing period, according to the city.
During the process, the selected street will be closed to all traffic and "No Parking" signs will be posted 72 hours in advance. All vehicles left on the street in violation of signs will be towed. During the curing process, signs will remind drivers to drive cautiously over the freshly applied aggregate rock on the roadway surface, city officials said.
"Like slurry seal, cape seal and scrub seal are used to prevent the deterioration of streets, which is vital to improving the overall condition of San Diego's network of roads," the city statement reads. "It reduces the need for a more costly asphalt overlay and reconstruction for badly deteriorated streets."
The latest work will be completed, weather permitting, through the months of April and May.
Streets are selected for resurfacing through a pavement management system that helps determine when to schedule streets and what treatment to use. Each street segment is assigned a Pavement Condition Index score based on the pavement's overall condition.
