Chip & Seal warnings in Boulder County

Submitted by Kris Thompson on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 06:35

Boulder County will be adding chip seal to 13 miles of County roads over the next three weeks. Chip seal preserves the road surface and greatly extends the life of the pavement allowing us to go longer between pavement overlays. We are continuing to use smaller chip than in the past, similar to last year’s project on Nelson Road. This smaller chip seems to be less disruptive to cyclists. However, the chip is pretty messy for the first week or so, so please use caution when cycling on any of the following roads over the next three weeks.

August 8 – 12
Eldora Ski Road – the ski road will have the bigger 3/8-inch chip in order to maintain traction on this mountain road)
75th Street - Jay Road to Baseline Road.

August 15 – 19
Valmont Road - 55th Street to 61st Street.
61st & 63rd Street - Valmont Road to Twin Lakes Drive
Airport Road - Highway 119 to Glenneyre Drive (Longmont City limits)

August 22
95th Street - Lookout Road to Niwot Road

August 29 – Sept 2
All roads will be “fog-coated” which is basically an oil coating on top of the loose chips. All the roads should be back to “normal” within a couple of weeks after the fog coat.

News Item:

11 Comments

Chip & Seal is serious stuff

Submitted by Kris Thompson on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 21:02

Beware of these roads, it's serious stuff, you don't want to accidently find yourself riding on it. Last year the Chip & Seal on Hwy 36 was one of our most commented stories! http://303cycling.com/Chip-Seal-on-US36-boulder-colorado

Glad Boulder County gave us a heads up, CDOT did not last year.

Thanks for the heads up;

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 06:54

Thanks for the heads up; these are roads near my office that I frequently ride, so I'll figure out something else.

Anyone griping about chipseal in this area should go ride in New Mexico. Holy crap. I'll never complain about our roads ever again.

what is the big deal?

Submitted by bldrrider (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 07:29

Can i ask what is the big deal with chip seal? Mainly why do cyclist hate it? Is it just because its not smooth? Is it just the construction detours? Thanks.

Construction

Submitted by Craig (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 09:14

It's just that you don't want to ride on those roads for a few days after they are chip sealed because until it has time to dry thoroughly, you will get the stones and sealant flying up and nailing your bike, which can dent and scratch your bike and leave the sealant stuff stuck to your bike (or car for that matter). That was an awesome run on sentence.

Chip Seal - Dent and Scratch?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 09:18

I dont think the chip seal is going to dent and scratch your bike. It will make you bike a sticky mess if you ride right after being applied. It is also rough to ride on.

Beyond being a rough,

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 09:37

Beyond being a rough, unpleasant surface, I find that even well after it has "settled", it still tends to hold bits of glass, thorns, & other debris that would be blown/washed off a smoother road.

But, better in the rain

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 12:44

Water runs off better, so nicer on rainy days.

OK cool thanks. So mainly

Submitted by bldrrider (not verified) on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 07:58

OK cool thanks. So mainly its a mess right after and you should wait to ride. I can't relate to the "unpleasant" ride. A little rougher road is par for the course, and really can we complaint about the roads we have out here? I think not. Stop by your LBS and buy some wider tires and a couple spare tubes and get out and ride:)

The chip seal on 36 still

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 20:22

The chip seal on 36 still seems very bumpy while I dont notice the chip seal on olde stage.

I'd like to know if they are different surfaces. They were both done around the same time.

from last year...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 08:11

"I’m happy to say former-mayor and current county comissioner, Will Toor, dropped by the blog to check out our discussion on chip-sealing. Naturally, he said I’m the most gifted writer he’s ever encountered…but he also wanted to clarify one important point: Boulder County in fact chip-sealed Nelson and Olde Stage Roads, but the Colorado Department of Transportation was responsible for Highway 36. That said, the resurfacing on Nelson and Olde Stage was a different aggregate and process, which left it much more cycling-friendly. Toor wanted us to know the county is in discussions with CDOT to make sure all future projects on our bike thoroughfares trend towards the better surface."