Last Updated on April 16, 2013 5:12 pm
A $2.1 million contract has been awarded to Blythe Construction Inc. of Charlotte by the N.C. Department of Transportation to apply asphalt surface treatments on 79.5 miles of secondary roads in Wilkes and Ashe counties. Work can begin as early as April 29 and be completed by Oct. 1.
Wilkes County will see 61 sections of secondary roads totaling 52.3 miles repaired, while Ashe County will see 21 sections of secondary roads totaling 27.2 miles repaired.
Asphalt surface treatments (AST) are a cost-effective pavement preservation technique on low-volume roads. The AST is constructed by spraying an asphalt mixture onto the pavement surface, then spreading chips of fine rock into the mixture. The chips are embedded into the surface by rubber-tired rollers, and the surface is then swept to remove excess chips.
This treatment seals fine cracks in the underlying pavement surface, which reduces pavement deterioration by preventing water from intruding into the base and subgrade of the road. This improves wet weather traction, as well as safety.
This is one of 27 contracts totaling $106.9 million awarded by NCDOT in March for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law. The bids received on the projects awarded came in about 5.3 percent, or $5.9 million, below NCDOT estimates.
