Micro-surfacing Project Begins on North County Residential Roads
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Crews under contract with Santa Clara County will begin work Monday, September 8, 2014, on a project to resurface 3.4 miles of residential roads in County pockets near Palo Alto and Cupertino. The project will use a micro-surfacing treatment that saves time, money, and disruption for drivers and residents.
“It’s a small thing, but keeping our roads in shape – and doing so with as little fuss as possible – is the kind of straightforward government service people have a right to expect,” said County Supervisor Joe Simitian, whose district includes the roads to be resurfaced.
“Moreover,” said Simitian, “this is a real dollars-and-cents issue for drivers in our area and throughout the state.” Bad road conditions in California cost drivers an extra $13.9 billion annually in vehicle maintenance and operating costs, according to a 2013 analysis by national transportation research group TRIP.
In Silicon Valley, these costs work out to over $700 per driver every year. “Anything we can do to improve the quality of our local roads reduces wear and tear and repair costs for our local residents,” said Simitian.
This County-funded project, part of the Roads and Airports Department’s 10-year road Maintenance Plan, will use a road treatment called micro-surfacing. This involves coating the surface of a road with a thin but durable layer of asphalt, stone, and binding agents. The treatment both fills and seals imperfections in the surface, and acts as preventive maintenance to extend the life of the roadbed. The County is using the same process to resurface its expressway network.
Compared to other processes, micro-surfacing produces a smooth, more “finished” look and is quicker to perform. The more traditional repaving technique takes two steps: a “chip seal” followed several weeks later by a “slurry seal.” In between those two steps, exposed, loose rocks cause disruption and damage for drivers and their cars. Micro-surfacing treatment not only saves time and money but also eliminates this intermediate period.
The 3.4 miles of road to be resurfaced under this contract are in pockets of unincorporated County territory near Palo Alto and Cupertino.
In the Palo Alto area, the project includes:
- Arastradero Road between Fremont and Page Mill
- Arastradero Road at Alpine Road
- Coyote Hill Road at Page Mill
In Cupertino, it includes:
- Creston Drive between Cloverly and Baxter
- Alderney, Berkeley, and Cloverly Courts
- Ainsworth, Starling, and Haan Drives
- Baxter Avenue and Groveland Drive
Residents and those who pass through these areas should be on the lookout for temporary lane closures and delays during the work, which will be completed during the course of the coming month.
“Even with the time savings of micro-surfacing, we’ll all need to be a bit patient and alert while this work is happening,” said Simitian. “The results will be worth a little inconvenience in the short term.”
For more details about the resurfacing project, please contact the Santa Clara County Roads and Airports Department at (408) 494-1308.
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