Repairing the Pacific Coast Highway Under the Cover of Darkness

California extends the life of one of their most traveled highways, with minimal impact to traveling public and 78% cost savings using type III slurry seal & crack seal.   


  1. 78% cost savings vs. Mill and Fill
  2. 93% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
  3. Work was completed in half the time allotted + minimal impact to the traveling public

Backstory

The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is a 22 mile stretch of highway running from Seal Beach North to Artesia Blvd in Los Angeles, California, serving the Port of Long Beach and thousands of 18-wheelers hauling freight each day. The demanding coastal environment and heavy flow of industrial traffic caused a high degradation of the roads at a faster pace than average.

Problem

The PCH required 8 million square feet of road repair and preservation without shutting down lanes of the highway during business hours. Damp, coastal road conditions required specially formulated design enhancements of Type III Slurry Seal to be placed at night, requiring faster cure times.

VSS International has worked quickly and responsibly, and have provided difficult coordination with the city of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Sam Gallardo
Resident Engineer

Solution

The city partnered with VSS International to place 13,000 tons of Slurry Seal Aggregate and 1500 tons of PMCQS-1H Slurry Seal Emulsion emulsion engineered to set and cure quickly under damp, coastal conditions during night time hours. All lanes of traffic were re-opened by 6:00 am each morning. A crack sealing treatment was applied to 130 lane miles of roadway to slow the re-emergence of thermal cracks, saving nearly $9 million in costs. The work was completed in half the time allotted for the project.

 

Read Full Award Submission & Project Description Here

Photos