PHOTO: Lime residue is visible on King Arthur Street in the Castle Hills West neighborhood after Brannan Paving Company treated the area with a lime-and-water application to cool the road and help it cure.
The City of Victoria and Brannan Paving Company have been working since Friday to lessen the effects of a recent heat wave that caused newly sealed roads to start bleeding.
Parts of Castle Hills West, Queen City and Old Victoria were recently seal coated (a process that is also known as chip sealing). A seal coat is a type of preventative maintenance that aims to “seal” the surface of the road to prevent damage to the foundation.
After the seal coat is placed, it goes through a process of curing, or hardening. While the road is curing, intense heat can cause it to bleed.
Last week, a heat wave caused the heat index to rise suddenly to 110 degrees, causing the roads to bleed in some places. Since then, the City of Victoria and Brannan Paving Company have been treating the roads with a lime-and-water application, which helps to cool and harden the roads.
Is this a common problem with seal coating?
Not on this scale. Seal coats usually experience some very mild bleeding in small spots while they are curing, but last weekend’s rapid increase in temperature caused more severe, unexpected bleeding. This heat wave has caused similar problems on local and state roadways in many other Texas cities.
What is the City doing to fix it?
The City of Victoria and Brannan Paving Company will continue to use the lime-and-water application on the streets during the next few weeks. The lime will chemically react with the seal coat to help it cure. The lime residue will also help to cool the pavement and add some protection for vehicle tires.
The lime residue is non-toxic and will be washed away by the rain.
After the lime application finishes, the City and Brannan Paving Company will repair minor damage that was caused by cars driving on bleeding roadways.
Once the roads finish curing, the risk of bleeding will end. The time needed for curing varies depending on the weather.
What should I do if chip seal gets stuck to my car or driveway?
The chip seal can be removed using over-the-counter asphalt removers, or cleaners such as Gojo that are labeled as effective on asphalt. If removing chip seal from a vehicle, residents should park on the street, not in a driveway.
Stay connected
For more information about street projects in Victoria, visit www.victoriatx.gov/engineering or contact Engineering at 361-485-3340.