Lake County to 'rejuvenate' roads to add life to pavement
Lake County is adding a tool to its road preservation roster with an annual "rejuvenator" program designed to boost pavement life by five or more years.
The county board on Tuesday authorized a $281,366 contract with sole bidder Corrective Asphalt Materials Inc., of downstate South Roxana, for a new program to apply a "maltene-based" spray on asphalt surfaces.
"Maltene is essentially like a glue," explained Julian Rozwadowski, a project engineer and pavement management coordinator with the Lake County Division of Transportation. Maltene bonds the asphalt, but some is lost during the paving process, he said.
A later application of maltene tightens the surface by filling pores and cracks, forestalling wear and tear. The application limits the number of rocks chipping off, slows the oxidation process and prevents water from sitting in cracks in the pavement, reducing damage from freeze/thaw cycles, according to Rozwadowski.
The program, to begin this summer, will cover reconstruction and resurfacing projects from 2016, including four roundabouts.
"We're putting down 295,000 square yards, which comes out to about 13½ centerline miles," he said.
The longest stretch among 17 locations is Hunt Club Road from Wadsworth Road to Route 173, including two roundabouts, in Old Mill Creek. Next year, the program will include road projects from 2017 and 2018.
Several agencies in the Chicago area, including Kane, McHenry and DeKalb counties, as well as Vernon Hills, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Algonquin, have used pavement rejuvenator programs.
Lincolnshire, Long Grove and Wood Dale are among those trying it this year for the first time.
"I have found the product to be effective to reduce oxidation of the liquid elements of the asphalt, which leads to premature deterioration of pavement," said David Lawry, director of engineering and public works in Schaumburg, where the product has been used for four years.
Lake DOT began testing the product in 2014 at two locations near its headquarters in Libertyville. A third section was tested this year at Washington and Lake streets in Grayslake.
"We just wanted to take a conservative approach and make sure we were happy with the product before we put money into it," Rozwadowski said.
A typical asphalt road lasts an average 12 to 15 years before resurfacing is needed, although that can be more or less depending on the location.
It costs about $400,000 per mile to resurface a two-lane asphalt road compared to $12,000 per mile for rejuvenation, he said.
The rejuvenator's effectiveness will be gauged by testing pavement samples for durability. The county tests a quarter of its roads each year and annually adjusts its five-year road work program accordingly.