Motorists, Beware: Oil, Gravel Await As Road Work Shifts North Splat, Crunch, Ouch (Repair) Precede Better Road Surface

Chipped windshield season is coming to the North Side.

Spokane County road workers, who spent several weeks putting oil and gravel on 60 miles of asphalt roads elsewhere in the county, are beginning the work this week in rural and suburban areas north of Spokane.

That means flying gravel, splattered oil and slow going, as residents on the West Plains and in southeast Spokane County already have learned.

Speed limits slow to 25 mph while the new topping is applied and for two to four weeks after.

“We get quite a few complaints,” said Phil Barto, head of the county’s road department.

“There’s always more gravel than sticks to the road,” and much of it chips car paint and glass on its way to the ditch.

Roads need the coating every five to 10 years, just as houses need paint, Barto said. Without it, water eventually soaks into the asphalt, causing new potholes, chips and cracks.

The 80 miles of road getting the treatment this summer are fewer than usual, said Barto. Wet weather slowed prep work that must be done before the coating is applied.

The weather was so sloppy when crews worked on Elder Road that drivers complained the work made the road near Rockford worse.

“And it did look pretty bad for a while, I have to admit,” said Barto.

Barto said roads in many rural areas should be widened, straightened or resurfaced, not just given one more topping. But there’s no money for those expensive projects, he said.

Barto said the schedule of work on the North Side will depend on the weather. Crews plan to work on portions of Little Spokane Drive, and Colbert and Hilltop roads this week.

In the coming weeks, they’ll work on portions of the following roads: Monroe, Wildrose, Austin, Half Moon, Woolard, Elk-Chattaroy, Bruce, Schwachtgen and Sherman.

, DataTimes