Several portions of streets and avenues in Kamsack were re-surfaced last week when two work crews from two different companies, doing two different jobs, were in the community for a couple days.
Fedorowich Construction of Yorkton, which had been hired to lay hot mix asphalt, did approximately 3,500 square metres at a cost of about $74,000, while Morsky Construction of Regina did just over 19,000 square metres of ‘micro-surfacing’ for a cost of about $115,000.
Micro-surfacing is a cold mix blend of high quality aggregates, polymer modified emulsions, water and mineral fillers mixed according to a predetermined mix design from a laboratory, said information taken from an Internet site. It is applied to existing, higher volume, heavy traffic roads and highways that are still in fair to good condition, as a means of a cost effective preventative maintenance. It can reduce deterioration by sealing, prevents further oxidization, corrects raveling and provides or replaces a high degree of skid resistance. It can also correct wheel rutting and has a life expectancy exceeding seven years.
Council wanted to try micro-surfacing as an option to hot mix asphalt, said Laura Lomenda, town administrator. It is about 25 per cent of the cost of laying asphalt and can extend the life of the original pavement, but can only be used in cases where the pavement hasn’t deteriorated too badly.