The summer will be busy for crews touching up several Cape Girardeau County roads.

In July, Missouri Petroleum Products Co. will begin laying chip-and-seal on 12.8 miles of county roads. The project is expected to be complete in August. The county's contract with the company is for $227,836.25.

In chip-and-seal, a single layer of liquid asphalt binder is applied to an asphalt road, then covered with crushed limestone. That helps seal fine cracks in the pavement's surface and prevents water damage, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. Additionally, chip and seal is to prevent deterioration of the asphalt surface from aging and oxidation due to water and sun.

Roads in the project are county roads 253, 256, 259, 273, 316, 324, 439 and 440.

Cape Girardeau County 1st District Commissioner Paul Koeper said the cost to place hot-mix asphalt overlay on roads is about $80,000 per mile, compared to roughly $17,000 each mile for chip-and -seal. Koeper said the chip-and-seal treatment should last for four to five years on those roads.

"I'm always in favor of saving the taxpayer money when we can, and this seems like the best deal for these county roads at this time," Koeper said.

MoDOT plans to develop new recommendations for statewide chip-and-seal practices. Leaders say this will reduce costs without compromising quality.

Dennis Bryant, a construction and materials liaison engineer with MoDOT, said throughout the past five years the organization has spent a lot of money on major routes throughout the state. Bryant said that with 85 percent of those major roads in good condition, MoDOT is now focusing its efforts on chip-and-sealing roads with a traffic volume of fewer than 400 vehicles per day. He said roads with more traffic will continue to receive hot-mix overlay.

MoDOT will have a representative in each district as well as members of a statewide team performing quality assurance reviews on random projects.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

243-8600

Pertinent address:

1 Barton Square, Jackson, MO