The Maintenance Operations Division of SDOT is responsible for keeping street pavement clean and in good repair. Part of that job involves microsurfacing selected residential streets each summer, to seal out water and sun to extend the life of the pavement.
Similar to painting a house, microsurfacing applies a thin protective layer to the surface which helps keep the material underneath in good shape. However, for this preventive maintenance to be effective, the material you’re protecting must already be in good shape, unlike the streets shown below.
Preparation of the surface, such as identifying holes or structural damage that needs to be repaired before you paint, is necessary for a successful job.
This spring, SDOT paving crews are making spot repairs to streets that have damaged spots in South Beacon Hill, Lake City/Meadowbrook and Lake City/Matthews Beach. Our crews are preparing these streets for microsurfacing by filling potholes, repairing eroded street edges and replacing damaged sections of pavement.
A city street before and after microsurfacing – quite a difference!
In addition, SDOT is working with property owners to trim back tree branches hanging over the street that would block microsurfacing equipment and other vehicles. When this prep work is complete, these streets will be ready for microsurfacing this summer.
See a short video on microsurfacing here.