Chip Seal Paving Traffic Disruption

In a perfect world, road closures would be best for a chip seal construction. Full width chip seal and a few days for curing time would be great, but we know that is hardly ever the case. Therefore, traffic control will be required on almost every project. Here are some points or guidelines to follow.

• Required barricades and signs should be in their proper locations no later than the day before construction begins
• Signage should be clearly visible, in the proper sequence and positioned correctly so that motorists are aware of the work being performed. 
• Traffic cones are typically used to keep traffic routed around the work area. Placement should be checked to ensure that the sight distance is adequate, proper spacing and taper lengths are correct, that cones are placed past the distance of the first asphalt shot and that cones are placed outside the operating path of the asphalt distributor and aggregate spreader.
• Flaggers should be located at both ends of the project and should be properly trained. The flaggers are the ones who will come in contact with motorists the most and should be able to communicate the situation to the motorists. 
• A pilot vehicle should be utilized to control the speed of the motorists on the project. The maximum speed should be 30 miles per hour. A pilot vehicle should have appropriate signing on the rear of the vehicle to guide the traveling public through the project.
• As work progresses down the roadway and as sections are opened to traffic, the appropriate traffic control devices and flaggers should be repositioned.
• If the chip seal operation crosses intersections, traffic must be controlled in these areas. This may require additional personnel.
• When chip seal operations are being conducted on high speed roadways such as four lane highways, arrow boards should be utilized to move traffic into the adjacent lane.