, , ,

Dirt Road Upgrade: Durability at Low Cost With Triple Seal + Fog Seal Surface Treatment

A triple seal + fog seal is a fitting solution for upgrading dirt roadways like Butler Road. This combination surface treatment allows for exceptional performance with minimal maintenance over time.

What is a Triple Seal?

A triple seal consists of chip seal applications applied in three lifts. With each lift, an emulsion is spray-applied onto the surface at a specified rate followed by the spreading of aggregate over the emulsion. Differently sized aggregates are used for subsequent lifts, each layer filling voids from the previous course, facilitating a strong and long-lasting seal.

A triple seal treatment plus a high-quality fog seal, enhances road durability, helps to prevent moisture intrusion, ensures reduced tire noise and results in a smoother ride quality with longer-lasting rock retention as compared to single and double chip seals. When compared to the cost of traditional hot mix asphalt applications, agencies can see savings of up to 65% with a triple seal + fog seal treatment. This is a huge benefit for agencies like Laurens County.

Application Highlights

The three-mile Butler Road project began in May 2021, with The Scruggs Company as the contractor. In preparation for the triple seal, MC-70 emulsion, supplied by Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions (Ergon A&E), was applied as the priming base. Priming is an important step when applying a surface treatment over a dirt road. It helps enhance the structural integrity of the roadway by serving as a waterproof barrier, preventing moisture intrusion and reducing the likelihood of potholes. It also provides a layer of asphalt binder for a subsequent asphalt treatment to adhere to effectively. (Note that asphalt bonds better with asphalt than a dirt road without any primer.) Sand was applied over the MC-70 to serve as a protective barrier to traffic that was allowed back on the surface immediately following the application.

Four months after priming (due to scheduling challenges), The Scruggs Company applied the triple seal using CRS-2H chip seal emulsion, supplied by Ergon A&E, and aggregates brought in from the Martin Marietta – Ruby Quarry.

Triple Seal Application

The Scruggs Company applied the CRS-2H emulsion at 0.30 gallons per square yard followed by Size 6 aggregate for the first lift; 0.22 gallons per square yard followed by Size 7 aggregate for the second lift; and 0.18 gallons per square yard followed by Size 89 aggregate for the third and final lift. Each lift was rolled after the aggregate was applied.

This phase of the Butler Road project was completed in three days. Traffic was immediately returned to the treated section after all three lifts had been completed.

Fog Seal Application

Following the triple seal, a fog seal using Ergon A&E’s eFog HP high-performance emulsion was applied at 0.12 gallons per square yard to further lock down aggregate. Scheduling challenges throughout this project caused the fog seal application to be delayed by a few weeks; However, fog seals can typically be applied as early as three days after a chip seal/triple seal application.

The fog seal provided Butler Road with a dark appearance similar to the fresh hot mix asphalt look without the new pavement cost, which agencies and citizens appreciate. Traffic was returned within 90 minutes following the fog seal application.

Results

Butler Road is holding up well, and Laurens County remains pleased with its performance. The triple seal + fog seal once again proved to be an outstanding solution for upgrading and improving road durability at a low cost.

___________

From dirt roads to paved roads, Ergon A&E offers surface treatment options designed to address multiple distresses while enhancing durability and performance. If you’re interested in upgrading your dirt roads long term, contact one of our expert team members today.

/by
, , ,

FDR With Engineered Emulsion Saves Georgia County $900,000

Treatment Plan

This would be the first time FDR would be used to treat a fly ash road. Ergon’s engineered emulsion — FDR-EE — was the selected binder for this process. This emulsion would help facilitate a stable base able to resist moisture damage while also serving as a strong bonding agent for fly ash particles. The FDR application would be followed by a prime coat to prepare and protect the newly constructed road base, and then a chip seal to facilitate return traffic and further seal out moisture, keeping the ground water from rising to the surface. A 1.5-inch hot mix asphalt overlay would be applied as the final wearing course for increased structural value and durability as well as a smooth, dust-free driving surface.

Application Highlights

The County decided to move forward with a winter start date for the one-mile project in early January 2020. FDR, like other asphalt-based treatments, is not typically applied during winter months, as warmer temperatures and drier conditions are more suitable  for both performance and production. However, Indigo Road needed immediate attention and the County was eager to see how the FDR-EE would perform. The FDR contractor, Ranger Construction, pulverized six inches of Indigo Road. The pulverized material was then mixed in place with Ergon’s FDR-EE, reshaped and compacted.

FDR-EE Mixture Stands Up to Traffic/Weather: Truck traffic was allowed back on the road immediately following application, as there was simply no other option. While it took one week for the mixture to reach optimal water content under consistently heavy rainfall, the FDR-EE mixture held up and withstood the same destructive truck traffic that had so badly deteriorated the previous road structure.

Once the FDR-EE had cured, Hudson Construction applied a prime coat using Ergon’s MC-70 at a shot rate of 0.10 gallons per square yard. Again, trucks traveling to and from the sand pit were back on the road immediately following application. Even under pressure from traffic and subjected again to heavy rainfall, the prime coat held up.

Cold and wet weather forced Hudson to wait a month before applying the chip seal using one of Ergon’s conventional chip seal emulsion products (CRS-2H) along with size 89 aggregate as the cover stone. The final stage of the project was completed the second week of March, when Preferred Materials Inc. applied the 1.5-inch asphalt overlay.

“This has been a huge success for the community and will be a great opportunity going forward for all involved,” said Neal Howard of UHK. “This could not have been accomplished without the efforts of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions and Paragon Technical Services.”

Results

Effingham County Road Department was impressed with how well Indigo Road held up under constant pressure, cold and extremely wet weather. Even though the treatments were placed outside the recommended seasonal application time and were subjected to heavy traffic immediately following application, the Board Members of Effingham County were very pleased with how well they performed. Note: When applied according to seasonal recommendations and without consistently heavy rainfall, this same treatment can be completed in weeks instead of a span of three months. Additionally, FDR applications using Ergon’s engineered emulsion are suitable for all types of roadways in need of rehabilitation.

Cost Savings

The County was able to save big with the FDR process. At a centerline mile cost of around $560,000, the FDR treatment plan, including the subsequent treatments for additional durability and resistance, was less than half of that required to remove, transport and then reconstruct the road. If this same process could be used to treat all 900 miles of fly ash roads in southeast Georgia, state, county and city agencies would recognize a potential combined savings of over $800 million.

Long-Term Strategy: Realizing the success of the Indigo Road project, Effingham County plans to continue FDR-EE applications on other fly ash roads within their network.

/by