County Road 3 - Current Safety Issues
In the interest of public safety, the Gunnison County Public Works Department has requested assistance from the Town of Marble to provide accurate and timely public information to the citizens of the greater Marble area regarding County Road 3.
Gunnison County is responding appropriately and with due dilligence to the current safety issues on CR3. Below are recent transmissions from Martin Schmidt Gunnison County Public Works.
- Ron Leach Town of Marble Administrator
August 26, 2024
Ron, We have been contacted by a group of citizens complaining about the seal coat on CR3. The complaints all came in close together in time, so it seems like there may have been a community conversation over BBQ… Here is the response I have been sending back. Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about this situation.
Thank you for reaching out. The product that was applied is a sealcoat called Micro-Coat and it doesn't get any additional "treatments". It is not a chipseal or chipseal oil. Sealcoats are a surface treatment to keep water out of the driving surface to preserve the integrity of the existing pavement. It was applied by the company that supplies the product with County support, we have checked with them, and we know that it was applied correctly. We double checked with the contractor and the product was also correctly mixed. There are no additional treatments planned.
Multiple county staff, the contractor, and the sales team have driven the road in the rain. With multiple different vehicles driving the speed limit there have not been any identified issues. There is a short curing time where there might be additional oils on the road, but that time is coming to an end, it’s getting “worn in”. We expect the experience to improve, but all of us will continue to monitor the situation.
Based on sheriff’s reports, like almost all of the accidents on CR3, they appear to be speed related.
https://www.bluelinetrans.com/blueline-microcoat-is-a-cost-effective-seal-coating-solution/
MicroCoat® Specialty Road Coating
The MicroCoat® product line, which provides the performance of a Micro Seal for sealcoating contractors. MicroCoat® was custom designed in our state-of-the-art Laboratory in Portland Oregon.
MicroCoat® is a specialty coating, designed for road surfaces that have deteriorated over years of use. MicroCoat® delivers excellent cost savings, compared to commonly used surface treatments, as well as beautifying and preserving the existing asphalt. MicroCoat® is a Polymer Modified Emulsion, specially formulated with our ISO certified process generates a finished product that is second to none in the Industry.
Benefits:
Saves money by extending the life of a deteriorating asphalt road
Improves aesthetics while it protects – Dries to a rich dark color that enhances the value of the property
Snow removal becomes easier and traffic markings last longer
Provides a durable road surface and increases traction
Minimizes road closures since it cures in a fraction of the time of conventional sealers
Superior Flexibility – Ability to bridge minor surface (non-working) cracks in the pavement to decrease water penetration and extend the life of asphalt surfaces
Resistant to re-emulsification in the presence of de-icing salts
August 28, 2024
Ron,
I would be happy to get on a call with you to talk about the road treatment.
I stand by my previous email and the intent of the treatment, but as I stated we have continued to follow up on the complaints and have performed friction testing with a machine used by Gunnison Airport to check the runway for skid resistance. That machine has provided friction coefficient numbers that are well below the target for the roadway and indicate that the treatment was in some way incorrect (either from the plant or in application). The product was mixed and applied by the manufacturer in Grand Junction.
We are working at an accelerated pace with the contractor to resolve the situation. There is no solution we can apply immediately (due to logistics), but we are working as rapidly as possible to address this in the coming week or two, not months.
August 29, 2024
Ron,
I am currently working with the contractor to apply a “sand seal” to the road, effectively raising the amount of traffic without damaging the roadway. The finished product would be rough and grippy. We are working on the logistics of traffic control, product delivery, and application.
I have included the product sheet for the application we did that has cause this problem. I thought it would be good to share what we thought the outcome was going to be (and I observed before). I will continue to update you.
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