TxDOT press release
The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as District-Wide Seal Coat is scheduled to begin Monday in Henderson County, then move through all eight counties of the Tyler District and treat nearly 300 miles of roadway before concluding work in August.
Crews are scheduled to seal most of US 175 between Athens and the Kaufman County Line, then move into Anderson County by the weekend, weather permitting.
“Seal coat is a fast-moving operation,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “It’s also cost-effective. We can seal six miles of road for the cost of one mile of hot mix, and the seal coat will last longer.”
TxDOT maintenance crews have been working on the roadways to be sealed for the past 18 months, and the seal coat application will help the repairs last for as many as 10 years in some places.
“Water is a roadway’s worst enemy,” Krantz said. “Seal coats help keep water out of any cracks in the roadway surface, which helps keep potholes from forming. This process is our ounce of prevention being preferable to the pound of cure.”
Once in Anderson County, crews are scheduled to seal:
FM 837 between SH 19 and FM 315;
FM 320 between US 79 in Palestine and FM 645;
Loop 256 between US 79 South and US 84 East; and
US 287 between Loop 256 and FM 2419.
Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.
But it’s HELL to ride a bicycle on a seal-coated shoulder!