| Asphalt Overlay- |
Asphalt concrete placed on the roadway with a paver. Overlays can be anywhere from 1" thick up to 6" thick. Thick overlays are typically placed in two to three layers. Depending on how thick of an overlay and how long the project is, the work will take anywhere from a day or two, up to a week or two. |
| Box-Out Repairs- |
Cracked areas of the pavement are milled out and filled with asphalt concrete. This type of repair may be performed on up to 20% of the pavement surface. A "train" approach is used with a machine to mill out the broken areas, a grader and skid steer to remove the old material, a paving machine to place the new material, a roller for compaction, etc. Several days may be spent to perform this treatment on a mile of roadway. The work is often followed by the application of a surface treatment. |
| Bridge Maintenance- |
Periodically recurring work designed to preserve an existing bridge. Work may be washing, painting, and sealing wood or concrete elements. |
| Bridge Major Rehabilitation- |
Reconstruction of a bridge, which upgrades and retains significant elements of the old, such as abutments, beams, or trusses. |
| Bridge Replacement- |
Construction of a new bridge, where no structural elements of the old are incorporated into the new. |
| Chip Seal- |
A liquid asphalt emulsion is sprayed on the roadway. This is covered by a thin layer of gravel. The gravel might be a New York State #1A stone (nominally about 1/4" in size), or a New York State 1ST stone (nominally about 1/2" in size). The treatment is applied within an hour or two (depending on how long the road section is), and takes several hours to set. Loose/excess stone is swept off of the road surface several days later. |
| Cold In-Place Recycling- |
A paving "train" grinds up about 3" of the existing asphalt concrete, processes it, mixes it with new asphalt binder, and lays it back down on the roadway in one continuous operation. The treatment may take anywhere from a day to a week or so (depending on the length of the project). The new recycled mat will then be topped with a surface treatment or an asphalt overlay. |
| Culvert- |
Large metal tube installed under a road to protect flowing water or drainage. |
| Culvert Replacement- |
Replace road culverts or road crossing pipes. |
| Culvert, Aluminum Arch- |
This is a large arch installed under the road surface to let a stream flow under the road. An aluminum arch culvert is usually larger than a regular culvert. |
| Full-Depth Reclamation- |
A special recycling machine grinds up the roadway, up to 6-10" deep, and produces a recycled granular base layer, usually incorporating a liquid asphalt emulsion binder. This layer is then paved with one or more layers of asphalt concrete. The finished driving surface could be an asphalt concrete "top mix" or a surface treatment. Since this type of work involves up to three or four layers that often require "curing", it is usually spread over an 8-12 week period. |
| Microsurfacing- |
A thin application of latex modified asphalt emulsion and sand is applied about 3/8" to 1/2" thick by a special truck-mounted paving system. The material sets and hardens within about one hour, and the road is then fully opened to traffic. |
| Novachip- |
A thin application of liquid asphalt emulsion and a single layer of stone, coated with asphalt (such as NYS #1 stone, which is about 1/2" in size). The material is put down with a special paver. It cools and sets within minutes. The road is opened to traffic almost immediately after placement of material. |
| Outer Wheel Path Paving- |
This treatment is used for roads where the outer wheel path of the road is excessively out of shape, usually marked by excessive cracking and wheel ruts. It is also often preceded by box-out repairs. The paving is done continuously, about 4-5' wide on the outside wheel path of both lanes. This work may take several days, depending on the length of the road section. This work is often followed by a surface treatment. |
| Pothole Repair- |
The winter is tough on roads and causes many potholes. The pothole area is excavated and then filled with asphalt. The entire operation takes minutes for one pothole, but workers could be on a single road repairing potholes for multiple days, depending on the severity of the potholes. |
| Reconstruction- |
This work includes improving drainage features, rebuilding the road base, placing a new pavement, and shoulder work. Prior to reworking the roadbed, old culverts may be replaced, 4" plastic drain tile may be installed along the edge of pavement, and ditches may be cleaned or even relocated. The base work could be full-depth reclamation, or it could be placement of a new gravel base. The pavement will then be one or more layers of asphalt concrete. The finished driving surface could be an asphalt concrete "top mix", or a surface treatment. Finally, the shoulders will usually have to be reconstructed to match the elevation of the new road surface. County residents can expect to see days and weeks of activity with many varied pieces of equipment and trucks, interspersed with weeks of little to no activity while a previously completed treatment cures, and scheduling allows for the next stage. |
| Shoulder- |
The outer edges of a road. Shoulders can be dirt, gravel, grass, or paved, depending on transportation needs. |
| Signage, Road Construction- |
Every road and bridge construction project must use signage to alert motorists of the construction ahead. Construction signage is usually orange with black lettering, sometimes with flashing yellow lights. Road construction requires motorists to slow down, so watch for alternate speed limits imposed on road and bridge construction projects. |
| Slurry Seal- |
A thin application of asphalt emulsion and sand is applied about 3/8" to 1/2" thick by a special truck-mounted paving system. The material sets and hardens within about one hour, and the road is then fully opened to traffic. |
| Spot Paving- |
This is a paving treatment that provides large asphalt patches for bad areas. It is a maintenance tactic used for aging pavements to hold them over until a major improvement can be undertaken. When the treatment is complete, there will be scattered spots along the roadway where new asphalt has been applied. The work is sometimes followed with a surface treatment. |
| Surface Treatment- |
Any of a number of thin seal coat-type treatments, including chip seals, microsurfacing, or novachip. |
| True & Level (T&L) Paving- |
The roadway is paved with asphalt concrete to raise up the low spots and re-establish a proper "crown" for the road. This promotes good drainage of water off the road and improves the smoothness of ride quality. The final treatment may actually skim over some areas that will show little to no new asphalt, while other areas receive a couple inches of new asphalt. This work may take several days, and is usually followed by the application of a surface treatment. |
| Underdrain- |
A 4" plastic drain tile is installed along the edge of pavement, about 40" deep. The drain tile is "daylighted" every so often at low spots in the topography, usually into streams that cross the road or run near the roadway. The work is done in a "train" approach. There is a machine that digs the trench and installs the tile, a machine that places the material to fill the trench, trucks to deliver the fill material, a piece of equipment for compaction, and a tractor-mounted rotary broom to clean up. Additionally, there will be a truck and backhoe crew that installs the outlets to the streams. This process usually takes a week or two for a particular road project, depending on the length of the road section. |