2024 Chip Seal Program Improved Heavily Used Routes

County Public Work crews lay down first layer of chip seal on Belmont Drive

Hood River County’s 2024 Chip Seal Project improved several heavily traveled County roads in the last two weeks of June. Completion work scheduled for July includes applying a final “fog seal,” a light coat of oil that dries quickly, and road striping.

Chip sealing, carried out by Hood River County’s public works department road crew, is a proactive and cost-efficient road maintenance process used nationwide to prolong the lifespan of roads. It involves spraying emulsified asphalt onto the existing road surface, followed by a layer of 3/8” crushed rock, creating a chip “seal.” In a double-shot chip seal, a second layer of 3/8” crushed rock is applied atop a 5/8” layer of crushed rock. Rubber tire rollers are used to adhere the rock to the asphalt.

This map of affected roads shows which received single or double layers of crushed rock. The chip seal work reduced traffic to single lanes where construction crew and equipment were present, with flaggers used to route traffic as needed to keep traffic flowing.

Road Foreman Bill Wheat of the Hood River County public works department

After chip sealing, loose gravel can remain on the road for several days while asphalt hardens. “Bicyclists should be cautioned to avoid these roads if possible while loose rock is present,” said Road Foreman Bill Wheat of the Hood River County public works department. After the asphalt hardens, loose rock is swept up in stages. In July, a diluted emulsified asphalt mixture, commonly known as a fog seal, will be applied to seal the new road surface, followed by restriping.

Wheat, who has been with the public works department for 26 years, heads pavement management for Hood River County. “We don’t do a lot of paving due to its high cost. Instead, the County has a 12-year plan for chip sealing or paving. We review upcoming projects annually and make some adjustments if needed,” Wheat explains. Based on the pavement condition of a specific road, during its cycle, it may be recommended for a single chip seal, a thin-mix asphalt overlay, or some other variation of treatment. In 2023, Hood River County applied chip sealing to most of Odell’s roads.

“We moved this year’s project up in the schedule because these higher traffic routes showed wear sooner than expected,” Wheat said. “Our department performed rut grinding, patching, crack sealing, and fresh paving on Indian Creek Road and Barrett Drive before the chip sealing improvements.

Roads are rated on a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) that measures the condition of a road pavement and what sections need improvement, with a score of 100 for a newly paved road, and a score of 0 for gravel roads. The PCI is based on a visual survey of the number and types of distresses in the pavement, such as cracking, rutting, scaling, and spalling. Indian Creek Rd. had a 60 PCI rating before the chip seal work.

Hood River County’s road improvement budget has remained relatively stable at around $400,000 annually for decades, despite the rising costs of materials like crushed rock and oil. The cost of chip sealing has also increased significantly. For instance, a one-ton quantity of hot mix asphalt that cost $22 per ton in 1998, now costs $100 per ton today.

The public works department maintains approximately 190 miles of paved and gravel roads and over 20 bridges throughout Hood River County. Maintaining safe, durable road surfaces takes significant planning and substantial resources. Road maintenance work requires the skills of both road and shop personnel and involves a team of 16. Pavement management requires close work with the Engineering Division to implement the 12-year Paving & Chip Seal Schedule, as well as road hazard abatement, cleaning drainage structures, maintaining traffic control devices and signage, replacing striping and/or pavement markings, bridge maintenance and replacement planning, guardrail repair, mowing, and trimming. The snow removal season includes treating roads for ice conditions, generally between November and March.

For questions or further information, contact the Hood River County Public Works Department at (541) 386-2616 or email publicworks@hoodrivercounty.gov.