Slurry Seals Coming To Carlsbad Streets

by The Editors on February 11, 2015

And no, we’re not talking about marine mammals who’ve had a little too much to drink. We’re talking smoother, nicer roads in and around the City.

Every year the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department evaluates the streets to make sure they are well maintained. . . “Streets are selected based on their condition, and pavement management software helps us determine which streets are due for resurfacing,” said Jonathan Schauble, an associate engineer in the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department who oversees pavement management. “Regular maintenance is what keeps Carlsbad’s streets in good condition.”

For the official word from the City of Carlsbad and a map of exactly which roads will get their very own slurry seal, follow the jump.2015 Map

The City of Carlsbad will resurface portions of some major roadways and neighborhood streets during the next several months as part of the city’s annual program to keep the streets free of cracks and potholes. In a project that began last month, work crews are preparing streets for a thin coat of asphalt that seals surfaces in a process called “slurry sealing.”

The City Council awarded a $1.15 million contract on Tuesday for the other part of the annual streets maintenance program, pavement overlay, to PAL General Engineering.

Every year the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department evaluates the streets to make sure they are well maintained.

“Streets are selected based on their condition, and pavement management software helps us determine which streets are due for resurfacing,” said Jonathan Schauble, an associate engineer in the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department who oversees pavement management. “Regular maintenance is what keeps Carlsbad’s streets in good condition.”

Watch a video of the City of Carlsbad pavement management program.

The pavement overlay process involves patching the surface to remove cracks and other defects, then applying a layer of rubberized asphalt concrete to the surface. The expected life of the new pavement is about 20 years.

The pavement overlay project will begin in about two months and will affect seven roadways:
§ Calle Barcelona between El Camino Real and Rancho Santa Fe Road.
§ Carlsbad Village Drive between Concord Street and Tamarack Avenue.
§ Madrilena Way, Lucia Court, Bolo Place, Pendon Court and Plazuela Street in La Costa.

Some streets need only a thin slurry seal to rehabilitate the pavement. This entails removing traffic striping and filling cracks in the pavement surface, then applying a layer of asphalt emulsion, small rocks and sand. This slurry seal layer protects the pavement from weathering and cracking.

Crews began work in January on this year’s slurry seal program, which will cover more than 60 different streets throughout the city.

Some streets in northwestern Carlsbad are due for slurry sealing this year, including Garfield Street between Pine and Tamarack avenues, and many of the streets that cross Garfield between Carlsbad Boulevard and the coastal railroad tracks.

Businesses and residents near the affected streets will be informed before work begins, and the city will put up signs and take other steps to control traffic where the work is being done.

“City residents and motorists may be inconvenienced for a day or two while the work is taking place, but at the end of it they’ll have a beautiful, smooth street,” said Schauble.

Slurry sealing is expected to be finished by early April.

The $1 million contract for the slurry seal project was awarded to American Asphalt South, and City of Carlsbad staff will supervise the work.

Pavement management is funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Program budget, and the money comes from state gas tax revenue, local TransNet tax funds and fees paid by trash local haulers.

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