Contract crews applied the first layer of the HA5 high density mineral bond on a section of Virginia Avenue on Wednesday morning.
Bartlesville residents may soon see visible progress on a weather-delayed asphalt preservation project, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers said this week.
The $3.7 million project, which got underway in May, is aimed at extending the life of several of Bartlesville’s most highly-traveled streets. Motorists have likely noticed signs of work underway on some of the City’s major roadways, including Bison Road, Tuxedo Boulevard, Madison Boulevard and Virginia Avenue.
“We’re not done yet,” Siemers said. “This process is very moisture dependent, and they’ve been trying to complete a couple of the sections for weeks now. Just about the time that things can be ready, it rains again.”
The project was initially expected to wrap up in mid-July; however, rain delays and contractor issues pushed the targeted completion date back to mid-August or later.
“Holbrook Asphalt, the general contractor, was not happy with the chip seal that was going down on Bison, Madison and Tuxedo, and neither were we,” said Siemers. “We brought in a new chip seal contractor that’s doing a lot better of a job. They’ve done Virginia, the south mile of Madison and they will continue on down Price. We should get some good weather this week to continue that.”
The four-phase process includes crack seal, chip seal, HA5 high density mineral bond (a pavement preservation treatment) and then striping. Crews applied the first round of HA5 on a section of Virginia Avenue on Wednesday morning, Siemers said, noting that they will move on to the other streets as weather allows.
“For asphalt streets, sunlight and water are the biggest factors in how it deteriorates – those are the things that break down asphalt,” Siemers said. “So, essentially, we’re trying to extend the life of those by providing a measure that seals that off and provides a good driving surface as well. These are some of our major streets that are typically higher speed limits and higher traffic volumes. There are limited measures that you can do for preventative maintenance in those types of situations.
“It’s new to us, but we’re working through it and I think it will be good in the end.”
Streets currently set for completion include:
- Bison Road — Tuxedo Boulevard to Nowata Road
- Tuxedo Boulevard — Madison Boulevard to Bison Road
- Madison Boulevard — Tuxedo Boulevard to Price Road
- Price Road — Washington Boulevard to Madison Boulevard
- Frank Phillips Boulevard — Sunset Boulevard to Keeler, Delaware to Hillside Drive and Avondale Street to Madison Boulevard
- Johnstone Avenue — Adams Boulevard to 14th Street and Fourth Street to Fifth Street
- Nowata Road — Silver Lake Road to Washington Boulevard
- Jefferson Place — Lincoln Road to Boardwalk Court
- Virginia Avenue — Hensley Boulevard to Butler Creek
State-owned highways, including U.S. Highway 75, Highway 60 and Highway 123 are not included in this project.
Preventative Maintenance Repair street projects are identified on an annual basis and funded through the Half-cent Capital Improvement Projects Sales Tax, which is approved by voters every five years.
More information about this project is available at https://ha5roads.com/city-of-bartlesville-pavement-preservation/, a website produced and hosted by Holbrook Asphalt. Schedules are not accurate due to delays, but the general scope is shown.
Highway 60 mill-and-overlay
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s asphalt maintenance project for Highway 60/Adams Boulevard continues with crews currently working between Highway 75 and Silver Lake Road. ODOT spokespersons say the project, which is expected to wrap up in early August, will improve the condition of the roadway. The mill-and-overlay is intended to be a stop-gap to provide the public a smoother ride and more robust road until the future full-depth reconstruction takes place, which is currently set to bid in February 2027. One lane of traffic for each direction will remain open during the project; however, motorists are encouraged to select alternate routes of travel when possible to avoid delays and traffic congestion.
Tuxedo Bridge replacement
Contract crews are nearly finished replacing the Tuxedo Bridge deck over the Caney River. Siemers said crews should wrap up by the end of July or early August. The voter-approved project consists of a full deck replacement of the westbound bridge. Traffic over the bridge has been reduced to one lane for each direction on the eastbound bridge to accommodate the project, approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond Election.
Madison rehab
Contract crews are currently working on the Madison Boulevard rehabilitation from Tuxedo Boulevard north to the water tower. Tree removal and earthwork has been underway at the site. The reconstruction project was approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond election.
City street crews completed resurfacing of the northern portion of Madison from the water tower to Minnesota in late June.
Sunset Bridge replacement
The Sunset Bridge rehabilitation project is currently open for bids and could be awarded at the Aug. 4 city council meeting. The project was approved by voters as part of the 2020 General Obligation Bond election in August 2020. The project consists of replacing the deck on Sunset bridge over Butler Creek. The project also includes construction of a pedestrian bridge adjacent to the existing bridge; this component of the project was approved by voters in the 2020 Half-cent Sales Tax extension.