CHINA: Road paving plan to use chip seal process

by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China Director of Public Services Shawn Reed has consensus support from the town Road Committee for his paving plans for this summer, which involve extensive use of chip seal rather than asphalt resurfacing (see The Town Line, May 12, p. 2).

Reed and Doug Fowler, representing All States Construction, of Richmond, the company to which select board members awarded the paving bid on May 9, explained the process to the committee

A road is first shimmed, given a coat that evens its surface. Fowler said sometimes as much as four inches of shim are needed where years of traffic have created ruts in the pavement. The shim coat cures for 30 days; then chip seal, an emulsion with hard rock embedded, is applied.

After a few days the road is swept to move any loose rock into the ditches. Fowler said All States will do the sweeping, twice if necessary.

China’s South Road is chip sealed, and Reed is pleased with the way it is holding up so far. He and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said they received two types of comments after the road was done.

Because the shim surface was so smooth, drivers questioned why the road was surfaced again after a month, Reed said. Hapgood added that until the loose rocks were gone, motorcyclists complained.

Reed plans this year to resurface all or parts of McCaslin Road, Dutton Road, Danforth Road, Pleasant View Ridge Road, Morrill Road (to the Winslow town line) Causeway Street, Canton Street, Peking Street and Neck Road.

He recommends asphalt resurfacing only on Peking, Canton and Causeway streets. Because Pleasant View Ridge Road is heavily traveled, he is considering a double coat of chip seal on the part scheduled, which runs east and then south from Lakeview Drive about to McCaslin Road.

Chip seal is less expensive than asphalt, so at present prices the planned work can be done within the proposed 2022-23 paving budget of $560,000. However, Reed and Fowler said, prices are rising weekly, and China’s contract with All States has an escalator clause allowing the company to raise its prices as its costs go up.

The paving budget includes road striping, and Reed commented that the price.