Street Crack Sealing Program
In Oct of 2013 the City of Brenham Street Dept. received funds to purchase a Crafco crack sealing machine. This was a much needed tool for the Street Dept. A crew consisting of three street department personnel operates the unit on a daily basis. Each employee has an individual responsibility such as driving the truck, operating the air compressor and using the wand to seal the cracks in the roadway. This team is vital to maintaining the surfaces of our roadways by sealing the cracks to prevent water intrusion to the sub-base of the roadway.
Method
This method involves a technical driver, an employee using the air compressor wand to blow the sedimentation and debris out of the cracks and a sealer who applies the hot material.
Material Used and Drying Time
The material that is applied is a hot poly flex liquid material (Poly Flex III Sealant) that quickly fills the gap in the asphalt. This material binds the asphalt and prevents water intrusion into the sub-base of the roadway. Drying time is very quick and cars may drive across the material immediately.
Project Time Frame
This project is on-going and currently city personnel are concentrating on the "excellent", "good" and "fair" streets in order to keep them in top shape. It is expected to take 5 years to finish the roadways. As new roads are constructed and improved crack sealing shortly follows within 6-12 months.