FAIRBORN — Fairborn motorists will take note of a number of road construction projects slated to begin in the coming weeks. Construction items, scheduled as part of the city’s 2017 street program, are aimed to wrap up in October.
This year’s street program determined that several local roadways will undergo cape seal treatment, while others will experience a scrub seal treatment, various “mill and fill” treatments, a cold in-place recycling topped with a cape seal treatment, full-depth reclamation and reconstruction.
Roads included in the 2016 street program will additionally undergo an asphalt rejuvenation treatment this month, which is a liquid that is sprayed onto the new roadway in order to extend the pavement life.
City Engineer Don O’Connor said that as asphalt is created, it is heated up to 300-degrees which burns off some of the binding power of the surface. The asphalt rejuvenation treatment serves as a solution. It is first sprayed onto the roadway in the form of a pink-colored liquid. At the same time the roadways receive this treatment, sand is spread onto the street to protect tires that will drive over the treated streets. Within a few days following the treatment, the sand is swept up.
The asphalt rejuvenation does not create the need to re-paint lines on the roadway. However, the treatment will dull the shine of the lines for a period of time. O’Connor said the original shine should return within a couple of months of treatment.
The Dayton Drive widening project is also nearing a start date. However, six utility poles must be moved to new locations before construction can officially begin. As the construction gets underway, westbound traffic will be detoured. O’Connor said the detour will “most likely” start at the beginning of the project and will last approximately two months.