About Cape Seal
Cape seal, a combination of chip seal and slurry seal, is usually applied on residential roads. The chip seal improves the strength of the road's surface and the slurry seal provides uniformity of the surface. There is approximately a 5-day interval period between the chip seal and slurry seal. Crack sealant is applied before starting the cape seal process in order to fill cracks and prevent water intrusion. This treatment can delay reflection cracking on HMA overlays and extend the life of the road from 8-10 years on average.
Process
- Pavement failure areas are dugout and repaired.
- Streets are cleaned of vegetation or debris, and cracks are filled with crack sealant.
- For the Chip Seal, a distributor truck is used to apply asphalt binder to the pavement. Aggregate chips are spread on top of the binder and a roller is used to embed the chips into the surface.
- After curing, streets are swept to remove any loose chips.
- Approximately 5 days later, the Slurry Seal process begins. Streets are swept once again. Any aggregate chips that did not seal properly will be repaired.
- Slurry Seal is applied using a slurry truck and squeegeed by hand to ensure uniformity. Once the material has cured, manholes and other utility valve covers are adjusted to final grade.
- Permanent striping is replaced 2 weeks later.
Impact to Residents
Preparation activities such as repair of damaged pavement and crack sealing may begin as early as 3-4 weeks in advance. Traffic delays can be expected during repair of pavement failure areas; however, roads are typically not closed. During the Chip Seal process, roads will be temporarily closed for 1-2 hours. After the material has cured, limited driving speeds will be advised in order to prevent loose gravel and chips from dislodging. Approximately 5 days later, the road will be temporarily closed again for the Slurry Seal application. Slurry mixture typically cures within 4 to 6 hours. Adjacent property owners will be notified via door hanger notices at least 72 hours prior to the treatment. "No Parking" signs with specified construction times will be placed on affected streets 48 hours prior to the process. Vehicles may not be parked on affected roads during the specified times; however, they may be parked outside of the construction zone if you plan to use them that day. You may consider using alternate routes in order to avoid possible traffic delays. Residents with special needs may contact the City in order to plan accordingly. All work is coordinated with transit and waste providers to minimize impacts to service.