Chip and Seal Operating in 2016 by crews from the Southwest/Vincennes District of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Photo courtesy of INDOT.

The Indiana Department of Transportation will kick off its 2019 chip and seal operations at the beginning of next week in Greene County. Exact roads are listed below in this story.

Each year, INDOT evaluates our roadway conditions and creates a list of roads for our chip and seal program. Candidate roads are identified as roads in good to fair condition that are scheduled for rehabilitation in the future. During the inspection of these candidate roads, INDOT looks at overall pavement condition and the immediacy of future needs. Roads with less need for immediate maintenance are selected. Chip and seal operations, on average, extend the life of pavement by three to five years. For every $1 spent on chip and seal, taxpayers save $6-14 in future road rehabilitation and construction costs.

How Long Does it Last?

Typically work to chip and seal in one location will last for about four days depending upon weather conditions and will be done under full road closures to prevent damage to both vehicles and the roadway. This also increases the quality of the finished roadway. After chip and seal operations are complete, any loose aggregate will be swept away from the newly resurfaced road. Chip and seal operations district wide last between six and eight weeks.

When Does 2019 Chip Sealing Start?

Chip and Seal road in Indiana Department of Transportation’s Southwest/Vincennes District. Photo courtesy of INDOT.

Depending upon weather conditions, INDOT crews will begin chip and seal operations April 29 in two locations in Greene County. The first operation will be on State Road 57 in Newberry. Work will be performed between County Road 500 South and Baseline Road near Switz City. Work, again, is done under full closure. The official detour route uses S.R. 67 and U.S. 231.

Immediately following work on S.R. 57, crews will move to the Bloomfield area to perform work on S.R. 157 between C.R. 140 N just north of Bloomfield to C.R. 850 N in Worthington. The official detour will use S.R 54 and U.S. 231. Work on both of these roads is expected to be completed by May 10, depending upon weather conditions.

Motorists should remember to slow down, increase following distance, obey all work zone signs and flaggers, and plan for extra time to get to your destination. Considerations have been given to school, emergency and local traffic, who will have access up to the point of closure with minimal disruptions caused by the closure. All other traffic will need to use the official detours.

Chip and seal start dates may vary depending upon weather conditions. INDOT may also have to re-evaluate scheduling depending upon operational need and equipment availability. As of this writing, the following is the most up-to-date order of locations in which work will be performed: