Preservation Surface Treatment Projects

What is Pavement Preservation? 

There are a variety of preservation (preventive) treatments used to extend the life of streets at a much lower cost than a standard asphalt overlay. The type selected for a particular street depends upon several factors, such as current surface condition, carrying capacity and travel use. Pavement Management’s preservation (preventive street treatment) projects alternate each year between the east and west sides of Vancouver. The focus for 2025 is on neighborhood areas west of Interstate 205.

Preservation Treatments

For 2025, several streets in west Vancouver will see some type of preservation used to protect and extend the life of the street. A little over 60 lane miles of street surfaces will be preserved. Those street segments include several major corridors: East McLoughlin Boulevard, East 29th Street, East 33rd Street, Northeast Andresen Road, Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast 104th Avenue. Crews will return to the Airport Green neighborhood to complete the cape seal preservation treatment that was postponed last year.

Along East 29th Street and East 33rd Street, the Pavement Management Program will join forces with the Community Development Department’s Transportation Planning Division to implement new street elements after the pavement work is completed. Vancouver community members have provided input for this safety and mobility project.

Various neighborhood streets within the Hudson’s Bay, Edgewood Park, Harney Heights (East 13th Street), West Minnehaha (Northeast 41st Circle), Meadow Homes (Carlson Road), Green Meadows, Ogden, Burton Ridge and Marrion neighborhoods will receive slurry seal preservation treatment.

Advance tree trimming, curb ramp upgrades and crack sealing/repairs occurred where needed. Actual pavement work typically takes place between July and September.

Resources

The annual pavement map shows streets anticipated as part of the workplan for this year. The streets shown can change based on funding, schedules and coordination with other utility work.

Get tips and guidance for upcoming pavement work including details about parking restrictions, watering restrictions and potential weather-related delays, along with general dos, don’ts and other resources.

Curb Ramp Improvements Prior to Surface Treatments

As a precursor to the surface treatment work, crews often install new intersection curb ramps or retrofit existing curb ramps at various, identified intersection locations to meet compliance requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Streets receiving treatments that are considered an alteration – such as asphalt overlay paving, microsurfacing and cape sealing treatments – are required to be upgraded so that existing curb ramps meet current ADA requirements. See tab above for more information.

What to Expect Prior to Street Work?

In most cases, residences and businesses fronting impacted streets receive door hanger notices in advance of pavement street work. Within construction zones, drivers are asked to be prepared for delays, watch for traffic changes, proceed slowly, and be alert to construction workers, bicyclists, pedestrians and other motorists. Regardless of the type, all pavement applications are highly weather dependent.

Construction hours are typically from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, though work may continue as late as 8 p.m. if needed. All paving applications are highly weather dependent. In case of rain, work must be postponed and rescheduled.

Types of Pavement Preservation:

Microsurfacing begins as a coarse liquid application of dense-grade aggregate, asphalt emulsion, water and mineral fillers. The quick-setting emulsion allows traffic to begin using the new surface in a short time, as little as an hour depending upon conditions. As the product cures, the surface becomes smoother. The finished sealant forms a thin shell over the street’s existing asphalt surface, extending the life of the underlying pavement. Microsurfacing applications are generally applied on arterial and higher volume streets. 

Slurry Seal is a mixture of fine rock, asphalt, and water placed on the pavement about ¼-inch thick to protect the surface from sun and rain. Slurry seal applications are generally applied on lower volume local and residential streets.

Chip Seal is a layer of sprayed emulsified asphalt and then a layer of new rock. A chip seal treatment typically extends the life of a road by seven to 10 years and provides a new sealed surface at a fraction of the cost of a standard asphalt overlay.

Cape Seal is a surface treatment that begins with a chip seal and then combines a final slurry seal, or even a microsurface, application. This treatment can greatly extend the life of the roadway.

Chip and Fog Seal treatment begins with a chip seal and then is finished up with a fog seal. Chip seal methods can include an asphalt rubberized chip seal or a ¼-inch chip seal, both helping increase durability, decrease loose chips and improve smoothness of the street. The type of chip seal method used depends on the amount of current traffic on the roadway.

Asphalt Rubber Chip Seal is a treatment that involves an asphalt rubber binder being applied to the street, then topped with a layer of chipped rock. Crews then apply a fog seal – a thin layer of liquid asphalt that coats and preserves the pavement to extend its life – to the surface. 

Bonded Wearing Course is an open-graded, thin hot-mix asphalt mixture applied over a thick polymer asphalt emulsion membrane. The high binder content seals the underlying road, protecting it from water infiltration and slowing the aging process. Bonded wearing courses have been used throughout the country and were used in Vancouver for the first time in 2018.

Questions?

Construction questions during summer street work:
Public Works Construction Services: 360-487-7750
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday