After what appeared to be a repaving job on Route 208 between Bergen and Passaic Counties, a driver asked why the ride isn't smooth?
After drivers endure closed lanes and detours for a road paving project, they might expect that the pay off to be a good ride on smooth pavement.
So why does a freshly paved road not have that smooth new pavement feel?
A reader asked that question about a recently repaved section of Route 208 between Oakland and Hawthorne because "it feels like the road is one big rumble strip," he wrote. While stuck in traffic, our sharp eyed reader spotted what might be the cause, which he described as "little holes in the pavement that makes noise when you're driving on it."
Traffic enters Route 208 in Fair Lawn, earlier this year. While Route 208 in Fair Lawn was repaved in 2013, work on another section of the highway, which was finished this fall, has drivers asking why the road surface has a rough ride. (Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Q: Why does the newly paved section of Route 208 have such a bad ride and what are the little holes in the pavement for?
A: Our reader didn't imagine what he saw and felt. State Department of Transportation officials confirmed that $3.7 million Route 208 project was not a "standard mill and pave job" said Kevin Israel, a DOT spokesman.
Milling and paving is the process in which the old asphalt is ground off and replaced with layers of fresh pavement.
"This project utilized a micro-surfacing material that is a thin overlay which preserves the underlying pavement," Israel said. "This method offers increased traction, due to improved friction, but is not quite as smooth as other road surfaces."
So what is micro-surfacing? Experts compare it to the difference between repainting or re-siding a house and said it is not the same as a traditional road repaving
GOT QUESTIONS?
Ticked off about mass transit? Wondering about road construction? E-mail your questions to NJ.com's transportation expert Larry Higgs. He'll answer your questions on Tuesdays and Thursdays on NJ.com. You can also Tweet @CommutingLarry.Micro-surfacing lays an ultra-thin, one-inch-thick layer of a polymer paving mixture and aggregates, which is applied cold to the existing pavement after it has been cleaned and cracks have been sealed, according to a Ohio DOT study.
Micro-surfacing is supposed to extend the life of a road before it needs repaving. In 2014, 138 miles of New Jersey state roads were micro-surfaced, according to a 2015 NJDOT report.
The DOT uses micro-surfacing material because it extends the life of the pavement for up to 10 years, while costing half as much as a standard mill and pave project, Israel said.
The material seals the pavement to protect it from water intrusion, which can cause potholes when it freezes and thaws, Israel said.
A layer of micro-surface also can be applied more quickly, reducing the duration of traffic disruption, he said. Light traffic can drive on micro-surfaced roads soon as 60 minutes after it has been applied.
Other states and municipalities have also used micro-surfacing, including Virginia, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Nebraska and Seattle.
Got a question about commuting in the great Garden State? Whether it's about when the paving machines start rolling after the state's non-essential construction shut down ended or why cameras perched atop traffic lights are spying on you, we'll try to find the answer.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.