Operations and Maintenance will be slurry sealing more than 150 neighborhood streets over the next five weeks, Wednesday, Aug. 23. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30.

Slurry seal is a mixture of asphalt emulsion, mineral aggregates, water and additives. It is a cost-effective preventative maintenance treatment that extends the life of the road surface while causing the least amount of inconvenience to travelers and residents. Slurry seal treatments fill cracks and voids, seal the surface to prevent water from penetrating roadway surfaces and improve skid resistance.

The slurry seal is applied as a liquid and requires anywhere from 2 to 4 hours for the water to evaporate, which binds the asphalt and aggregate together. At that point the surface is ready for traffic, however, please keep children and pets off the road surface. The slurry seal, in its liquid state, is very messy and will stick to shoes, carpet or a vehicle if walked or driven on. Once the contractor removes the barricades at either end of the road and allows traffic on it, it's open to pedestrian (kids, pets) at that time.

Preventative road maintenance saves tax dollars. Over the long-term, it is less expensive to maintain the road surface than to reconstruct it when it fails.

Slurry seal schedules will be posted on www.wc-roads.com. The schedule for slurry seal work is subject to change. Sign up to be notified of changes.