Expanding the Lifespan of Livingston Roads

As part of continual efforts to save money the Township Engineering Department has created a schedule of maintenance applications for municipal roads.  Two years ago, Richard Calbi, Township Engineer, and Frank Giordano, Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Public Works (DPW), made a completed survey of Livingston roads to assess conditions. “With each consecutive year,” explained Calbi, “the sections of road not completed are then re-surveyed in order to prioritize need for repairs due to weather damage and traffic volume. This provides us with a dynamic preventative maintenance program that helps us extend the life of the road. This program will be ongoing with sections of roadway rotating every 7 years for micro-surfacing and crack sealant.”

Micro-surfacing includes preparing the roadway by repairing any potholes and filling with asphalt along the curb lines to provide a maintained gutter line. This is followed up with the application of the micro-surfacing, which is a thin layer of asphalt and fine stone.  This protective layer is 3/8” to ½” thick and prevents the roadway surface from being exposed to UV light, drying out  and to some extent seals the cracks. The contract for micro-surfacing was awarded to Asphalt Paving Systems, Hammonton, NJ.

Crack Sealant seals cracks on the road to prevent them turning into potholes. This, reduces rain runoff from getting into the sub base causing potholes throughout the colder months. This contract has been awarded to Micro Paving Systems, Inc. of Roseland, NJ. "On average, $100,000 spent on crack sealant repairs 56 miles of cracks each year,” reported Giordano. “Crack sealant will help reduce the labor intensive cost of repairing potholes."

In the past, the DPW have used chip seal to seal roadways which has caused dust and wet tar to be splashed onto motor vehicles. This new system for micro-surfacing dries quicker and produces no dust. The budget for micro-surfacing is $200,000, a reduction of $150,000 from last year’s budget, and $100,000 has been allocated for crack sealant. This program is funded by the 10-year Capital Improvements Program for Livingston road system. “Micro-surfacing cost approximately $5.83 per linear foot and crack sealing costs $0.33 per linear foot,” said Calbi, “while road reconstruction costs over $100 per linear foot. So by pursuing improvements in a timely manner we can avoid higher costs which will result in long-term savings and help us to maintain our existing infrastructure in optimal condition.”

To view the Capital Road Improvement Plan and/or the schedule for 2012 Road Improvements, go to www.livingstonnj.org. Click on Engineering in the left hand column and access the webpage. The Engineering Department is located on the 2^nd floor of the Municipal Building, 357 South Livingston Ave. The Engineering Department is open between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, except for holidays. Alternatively, call 973-535-7950 or email: engineering@livingstonnj.org. Staff are always happy to answer residents questions or address concerns.