The City of Yakima Streets Division will begin its annual chip sealing program on Monday, July 15th.
This year’s project will be completed in the following order:
- First Street east to Fair Avenue
- East Maple Street to Nob Hill Boulevard
The project is expected to last about eight weeks and should conclude approximately the first week of September. Crews will be working in the project areas from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.
There will be no on-street parking in the project areas while chip sealing is underway.
“We will be putting out no parking signs and flyers on vehicles in the roadway the day before crews will be there,” said Street Maintenance Supervisor Jay Kendall. “If residents see ‘no parking’ signs in their area we ask them to not park on the road during chip sealing. The public’s cooperation is much appreciated.”
The City also asks residents to please keep irrigation water off of the chip seal so oil will set up properly.
“After chip seal rock is put down we will return to start sweeping up excess rock,” Kendall added.
The City will have flaggers on site to help drivers access their homes and businesses and also assist emergency vehicles through the work areas as needed. There will be intermittent road closures and detours during the project.
Drivers are encouraged to avoid work zones if possible. In order to reduce dust and to keep work crews safe, 20-mile-per-hour speed limits will be strictly enforced on the streets where chip sealing is underway. Access to homes and businesses on the roads to be chip sealed may be restricted for short durations while the work is being done.
Asphalt roads deteriorate over time due to traffic and exposure to sun and wet weather. As a part of the City’s ongoing street maintenance program, chip sealing is done on a periodic basis in order to protect road surfaces from further damage and to keep them in good condition.
Chip sealing helps maintain existing pavement in its present condition by delaying further aging due to traffic, water and sun, enhances the texture of a road surface and improves skid resistance, and corrects existing pavement problems by sealing cracks.
The best aspect of chip sealing is simple economics. Chip sealing saves taxpayer dollars because it protects the road from deterioration and greatly delays the need for a new asphalt overlay to repair a deteriorated road.
Contact Street Maintenance Supervisor Jay Kendall at 509-576-6443 for more about the City of Yakima’s chip sealing program.
Click Streets & Traffic (yakimawa.gov) for more about the City of Yakima Streets Division.