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The Slurry Seal Program
Preventive road maintenance saves tax dollars. Over the long-term, it is less expensive to maintain the road surface than to reconstruct it when it fails. Although the average life of an asphalt road surface is 20 to 30 years, it starts to show signs of distress and deterioration much earlier. The sun’s rays beating down on the pavement during hot summer months bakes the road surface and causes drying and cracking. Rain can seep into the road base and cause premature failures such as potholes. When properly applied and reapplied in 7 to 10 year cycles, a slurry seal greatly extends the life of the road. Riverside County has an annual program to apply seal coats, either chip seal or slurry seal to a large number of roads throughout the county in an effort to maintain the over 2600 miles of road in the County Maintained Road System.
| What is Slurry Seal? | ||
| Slurry seal is a mixture of asphalt emulsion(asphaltic oil and water) and coarse sand that is spread over an existing road surface. There may also be additives in the mix, like rubber, cement and latex that enhance the performance or look of the slurry. A slurry seal is typically 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch thick. It is mixed on-site in a truck, as shown, and then spread evenly across the |  |
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| entire surface of an asphalt pavement. Slurry seal is one of several types of sealcoat mixtures that are available for different types of applications. | ||
• Type I - Fine aggregate (#200x1/8") mixtures are used for maximum crack penetration and sealing in low-density/low-wear traffic areas.
• Type II - General aggregates (#200x1/4") are the most commonly used and are widely employed where moderate-to-heavy traffic is found. They seal, correct moderate-to-severe raveling, oxidation and loss of matrix, and improve skid resistance.
• Type III – Coarse aggregate (#200x3/8") corrects severe surface conditions - preventing hydroplaning and providing skid resistance under very heavy traffic loads.
Riverside County typically uses a Type II slurry seal on roads. The slurry seal is applied as a liquid and requires 4 to 6 hours or more to solidify before the surface is ready for traffic. During this time, please keep children and pets off the road surface. The slurry seal is very messy at this stage and does not clean up easily. It will stick to shoes, carpet or cars if walked or driven on.
During the first few days after the slurry seal, it may look like the surface is coming up, that slurry seal is everywhere, and that the color is changing. This is all part of the normal process and is supposed to happen. Vehicles driving over the sealant help roll and smooth out the compound. While this is happening, some rocks loosen from the mixture and minor rips or tears may appear.
Within a few weeks after the slurry seal is applied, crews will inspect your street, sweep up loose sand and gravel, make necessary surface repairs, and replace any pavement markings. Within about six months, the street that was black when first treated turns a brownish-black, and eventually ends up the familiar gray color.
Why do we slurry seal?
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| A slurry seal is one of the pavement preservation treatments that the County of Riverside uses to prolong the life of an existing asphalt pavement. By using slurry seal, the service life of the road is extended by approximately 3 to 5 years and cuts down costly repairs and repaving. Utilizing a pavement preservation approach not only preserves and extends the life of the pavement but also improves safety |  |
| and motorists’ satisfaction while saving public tax dollars. Some advantages to using a slurry seal are: | |
• Most versatile pavement treatment system available
• Extends life of existing pavement by protecting it from oxidation and deterioration
• Provides a durable, all-weather, dust-free, non-bleeding surface
• Ready for use just hours after application
• Improves skid resistance and road handling characteristics without hazardous loose chips
• Fills small cracks, voids and provides black color and texture in a single pass
• Extremely cost effective, an economical solution to preserving problem pavements
• Can be applied to any paved surface, new or old
How does slurry seal work?
• Prior to the slurry application, weeds are killed and removed from cracks and along edges of the surface to be treated.
• Cracks are filled with a liquid asphalt or rubberized asphalt sealant.
• A vacuum broom sweeps the road to remove loose dirt and debris.
• The road to be slurry sealed is closed to all traffic to allow the placement and • setting of the treatment.
• The slurry seal is applied by a special mixing/spreader machine over the road surface, filling the cracks and minor ruts.
• The road remains closed for 6 to 8 hours, until the slurry seal has set up enough to allow cars back on the road.
• Traffic works the slurry into the road surface over the course of the next few months.
• Vacuum sweeping is scheduled several times in the following weeks to remove the loose aggregates.
• After about 3 to 4 weeks, the traffic striping and pavement markings are replaced. Sooner than that will result in the new paint being damaged by the slurry seal emulsion.
How will the slurry sealed surface look like?
During application, the wet slurry is brownish in color. As the curing process takes place, the slurry will turn black. The curing time will typically be between 4 and 8 hours before the road can be reopened to traffic and is highly dependent on climate conditions such as sun, temperature, and wind. The surface will be fully cured in 48 hours, but will still be soft for about 4 weeks. As the slurry seal is mixed with course sand, the finished slurry surfacing retains the rough texture of the sand. Over time, the traffic on the road will gradually make the surface smoother.
What are short-term occurrences associated with slurry seal after it is applied?
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Shedding, which is the loss of aggregate in some types of sealcoats, is quite normal for this type of surface treatment and will occur for several months. A small percentage of the sand/gravel does not adhere completely and eventually becomes loose. This usually collects along the edge of the street or tracking onto private driveways. This debris will be periodically cleaned up by the contractor at frequency specified in their contract over the couple of months following the application of the seal. |
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| • | Tackiness, which may be a characteristic of some slurry seal because of a latex additive or the recycled rubber (derived from scrap rubber tire) in the slurry mix, is associated with the particles of the slurry sand being picked up by a rolling vehicle tire. This usually stops after about 2 or 3 days. |  |
• Tire marks being visible. This happens when a vehicle turns sharply on a newly slurry sealed surface or when a car’s front tires are turned without the car moving forward. |
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What procedures are followed to minimize inconvenience to property owners?
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| The contractor will deliver a notification bulletin to affected properties, outlining the proposed work and work schedule. In the event the schedule changes due to equipment failures, weather-related problems, or other unforseen reasons, the contractor will notify affected property owners as soon as possible. Property owners will be re-notified at least 24 hours in advance of the contractor returning and sealing the streets. |
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Barricades and "No Parking" signs will be placed on roads to be sealed. Barricades are placed to protect the uncured slurry seal treatment from traffic and peoples cars from getting damaged by the asphalt emulsion. These signs and barricades will be removed when the slurry seal is cured by the end of the work day. Emergency access for police, fire and ambulances will be permitted. |
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How will this affect mail, trash, and other services?
These services should not be significantly affected by the slurry seal placement. The contractor coordinates with the Post Office, school and commuter bus firms, trash collectors, police and fire departments so reasonable accommodations may be made.
What can you do to help?
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On your slurry day, park your car on an adjacent road 1-2 blocks away (on a street that does not have “No Parking”signs) until the resurfacing and curing is complete. |
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Make sure you inform deliveries or visitors of the street work, and if possible reschedule to another day. Do not enter the roadway until the barricades, signs, have been removed by the contractor. | |
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Do not drive or walk on the fresh slurry seal before it has cured (approximately 4-8 hours depending on weather). It could ruin your car and the street. |
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Drive on the street only after street has been re-opened for through traffic. Drive slowly. The new slurry/overlay is still fairy fresh and could get damaged easily. |
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Refrain from having lawn sprinklers overspray water onto the roadway immediately before and during work activity.
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Follow these driving guidelines for the next 1-2 days:
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No Sharp turns or U turns. |
| • | No speeding |
| • | No sharp or hard breaks/stops |
| • | No stationary power steering turns |
| • | No fast acceleration |
If you don’t follow the above guidelines, you may damage your car, and the new street will have unsightly indentations and grooves in the new pavement.
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