Roadway Paving Program

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Do you know what the Borough’s largest asset is? It’s one that every resident and visitor uses when driving through town. That’s correct … it’s our roadways. And not only is it our largest, it’s also our most visible and expensive to maintain. With all these considerations, the condition of our roadways affect each resident and it is the Borough’s responsibility to develop a plan to maintain this asset. The Borough currently has a five-year roadway maintenance plan in place that was created as a result of collaborative efforts of various Borough departments, engineers, staff and elected officials. Factors taken into consideration when identifying roadways for repair include length of road, life expectancy of roadway, date of previous maintenance and frequency of use. 

Road selection is also influenced by budgetary considerations; the Borough strategically allocates Borough funds and looks to utilize grant funding for road projects as much as possible. 

So what does it mean if your street is on the list of roads to be worked on this year? For some of the work, vehicles will need to be removed from the street. In those instances, the Borough and/or the contractor will notify households of when cars need to be moved as well as the duration of the work. We know that it can be an inconvenience as work is being completed, but the end result is a better street for you and your neighbors now and into the future. 

As the Borough continues to make investments in its infrastructure, the most visible investment seen by residents is the recent and ongoing roadwork. In fact, 6.5 miles or 2,502 feet of roadways are being micro-surfaced in 2022 alone. But what exactly is micro-surfacing? For starters, it is not the same as milling and repaving a road. When a completely deteriorated and deficient roadway is milled and repaved, it creates a brand new surface profile; however, the purpose of micro-surfacing roads is to extend the life of a functional roadway, not to recreate it. Micro-surfacing creates a protective layer on the roadway which preserves the underlying structure of the road. 

Milling and Paving

The improved surface prevents further deterioration, water penetration as well as sub-base failure ... in short, it assures that the roadway does not weaken with exposure to sun, rain and vehicular traffic. This preventative measure lessens the need for more extensive and expensive repairs in the future. Additionally, micro-surfacing sets quickly minimizing road closures and detour routes within the Borough. It’s not uncommon for some temporary imperfections to show directly after a road has been micro-surfaced. Micro-surfacing leaves some residue, a fine aggregate almost like sand, for several weeks. Public Works addresses this with the street sweeper after the product has fully cured. Micro-surfacing also dries in uneven brown colors, almost splotchy. This is part of the normal curing process and after a few months it turns gray and looks like pavement. All of these things are temporary and will settle to enhance the integrity and appearance of the roadway.