Council hears plan to expand pavement preservation, switch to micro-seal

Public works staff presented the town's pavement preservation plan, describing a change in materials and timing that the department says will extend service life and reduce recurring disruptions for residents.

Jewel, the presenter, said the town will move from a five-year slurry-seal cycle to a six-year micro-seal cycle and has budgeted about $450,000 for pavement preservation this year. "The actual micro-seal is good for 7 to 10 years, so we're at a 6 year interval," Jewel said, explaining the longer life and the rationale for timing the treatments earlier than the pavement fails.

The presentation included maps showing which roads are scheduled in 2026-27 and later years, square-yard estimates for various years and clarification about jurisdictional transitions where ADOT or La Paz County maintains specific segments inside town boundaries. Jewel pointed to a recent $8,960,000 county project and summarized how ADOT, county and town segments interconnect along corridors such as Dome Rock Road and West Keoughan Street.

Council members and residents asked about cure times and traffic impacts; Jewel said micro-seal cures in roughly 30 minutes to an hour, compared with two to six hours for slurry seal, and that the town will continue to adjust scope if oil prices or bid prices change. Funding sources cited included fuel-user funds identified during the meeting as HEERF/gas-tax-derived revenues.

Council thanked staff for the presentation and encouraged posting an interactive map of planned streets on the town website so residents can check when their roads are scheduled.