A sign temporarily erected along Bingen Road near Hickory Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township advises motorists that they will encounter “fresh oil and chips” on the road ahead. The section of Bingen Road between Hickory Hill and Black River roads is a state road.
In our area, summertime means that many municipalities as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will be paving state and local roads. However, in order to extend the lifespan of paved roadways and save money, a process commonly known as “oil and chip” or “tar and chip” (or more formally as “bituminous seal coating” and by other terms) is often used as an alternative treatment.
PennDOT has stated that it costs about one seventh of what it normally costs to pave a mile of road with asphalt as it does to seal it using the oil and chip method, which involves spreading stone, spraying oil, compacting it with a roller and sweeping up loose stone.
The state agency also estimates that the use of this time-tested road maintenance treatment will typically extend the pavement lifespan of a low traffic volume road by three to five years.
Many motorists, however, are not fond of the treatment, because it invariably results in some loose stone being left on the roadways that have been treated.
Although the stone helps provide additional traction come winter, it can also cause damage to the finish of cars that drive over it and present a hazard for bicyclists and motorcyclists, particularly if they are not expecting to encounter it after the temporary orange signs advising motorists that fresh oil and chip is being used have been removed.
Tell us what you think by voting in the poll below.
Do you think the use of oil and chip is a good thing, because it saves local municipalities and the state (and ultimately taxpayers) money? Or would you rather see its use abandoned in favor of more frequent–and costlier–road paving projects?
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