City Rejuvenating City Streets
Just like you give your car oil changes and tune ups to keep it running smoothly and extend its life, the City has begun preventative maintenance to extend the life of its City streets.
A process called “Rejuvenation” involves a special sealant and strengthener called “Reclamite” to be applied to certain roadways by the City’s contractor, Pavement Technology Inc. This process extends the life of the roadway up to 5 additional years before repaving is required, thus reducing costs and making the most of City tax dollars.
City crews will notify residents when their street is scheduled for rejuvenation. Parked cars will need to removed from the street. First the roadway will be cleaned, then sprayed with Reclamite before being spread with a thin layer of sand. Within just 40 minutes, the road is ready to be driven on.
Common Q&A Regarding Reclamite
A process called “Rejuvenation” involves a special sealant and strengthener called “Reclamite” to be applied to certain roadways by the City’s contractor, Pavement Technology Inc. This process extends the life of the roadway up to 5 additional years before repaving is required, thus reducing costs and making the most of City tax dollars.
City crews will notify residents when their street is scheduled for rejuvenation. Parked cars will need to removed from the street. First the roadway will be cleaned, then sprayed with Reclamite before being spread with a thin layer of sand. Within just 40 minutes, the road is ready to be driven on.
Common Q&A Regarding Reclamite
A: Reclamite is an emulsion that penetrates newer asphalt pavements and is designed to extend the life of our agency roadways by sealing the pavement and strengthening the binder which is damaged by traffic load and weather.
Q: Why is my municipality using this? The road is already in good shape?
A: Roadways are an important asset to the community, but the cost to rebuild or pave a new road can be quite expensive. By preserving some of the agencies roadways that are in good shape, ensures longer lasting service life to the asphalt. This is more economical, sustainable, and safer to the traveling public. Think of it as buying a new car. Most wouldn’t skip the oil change, tire rotation, or new brake inspection. Routine maintenance is exhibited through many examples around us. Our roadways should be no different.
Q: What’s involved in the total operation?
A: PTI will post resident notifications 24 hours in advance with door hangers. The following day any debris is swept off the road by PTI. Once the road is clean, Reclamite is sprayed on the road with a distributor. The material takes about 30 total minutes to penetrate. After full absorption, a light sand is placed on the road. This is used to soak up any access material and provide good tracking. The sand is swept up the next day leaving no sand.
Q: What’s the average life extension to the roads in TN?
A: Recent published studies are showing around a 4-5 year life extension to the asphalt when the application is utilized at the right time.
Q: How long before traffic can get back on the road?
A: Most maintenance treatments take a minimum of 90 minutes before traffic can be on the road: With Reclamite you are back on within 40 minutes. If a vehicle must drive on the material before the sand, our traffic control informs them they need to drive 5 MPH over the fresh material.
Q: What are common complaints from residents?
A: Complaints are usually kept at a minimum, but at times we do get a call or two about a vehicle tracking material onto their concrete driveway. This is not a permanent stain and will go away after a few rains. Some residents may notice the road is somewhat tacky for a week or two. This is completely normal and goes away quickly. Line striping will also have a dull look for around 30-40 days but will come back as weather takes its course. The city can also expect some tracking throughout the city but that is completely normal. This too will go away.
Q: Is this application harmful to the environment?
A: Reclamite contains no compounds classified by the EPA, OSHA, IARC or Prop 65 (California) which are the most stringent in the world. It’s been in continued use for 50 years w/o a single health incident. Reclamite poses no air quality and is non-carcinogenic. In fact, by extending the asphalt life, the agency is delaying paving cycles thus decreasing energy costs and improving the carbon footprint. Therefore, pavement preservation is inherently sustainable practice to the community.