The sealcoating process on U.S. Route 6 from Keating Township to the Potter County line has been called off, said state Rep. Martin Causer.
On Wednesday, the legislator said he spoke again with Tom Prestash in Clearfield, PennDOT District 2 manager, about the tar and chip process that’s causing such a headache for motorists.
Causer, R-Turtlepoint, confirmed that Prestash said, “Route 6 will NOT undergo any further tar and chip work. They will look at other options going forward, including paving and micropaving when necessary.”
He continued, “After further review there were a number of factors that contributed to the problems we saw two weeks ago.”
People had described an absolute mess, with the tar coming up on tires of heavy trucks, and loose stone chipping windshields, denting cars, chipping paint and even flying in open vehicle windows to strike motorists. When Causer’s office started hearing more than the usual number of complaints, he called PennDOT to find out what was going on.
PennDOT officials called a temporary halt to the project, and evaluated whether it should continue.
“In their evaluation, they came back to three things,” Causer told The Era. “It was too hot. They were trying to do it in near-100-degree temperatures. The excessive heat was causing it not to stick.”
Another factor was getting the ratio wrong for oil versus stone, with too many stones for the amount of oil used.
The last factor was surprising. “They underestimated the amount of heavy truck traffic on Route 6,” Causer said, adding that he and many residents had voiced their opinions that tar and chipping was not appropriate for Route 6. “The traffic count is too heavy. They said they would look at other options like paving and microsurfacing.”
Microsurfacing is when they lay a thin layer of pavement over the existing pavement.
“I’m glad they acknowledged they shouldn’t be doing (tar and chipping) on heavier roads,” Causer said.
He asked some questions that residents had posed to him — was it the right oil and the right size stone used? PennDOT said yes. “That’s what they reported back to me,” he said.
While Route 6 is out of the picture for the unpopular sealcoating, Causer said PennDOT confirmed they plan to resume the tar and chipping process on several lower volume roads. The sealcoat process is intended to be a cost-effective way to extend the life of the pavement.
Causer said citizens can submit a claim to PennDOT for damages that have occurred, either to the county office at (814) 465-3448 or to the office in Clearfield at (814) 765-0400.
“They’ve been quick to process claims, too, for windshield damage,” he added.
There will be some paving projects going on in the area, too. Causer said contractors will be doing a section between Ormsby and Cyclone, from Coleville to the top of Rew Hill, and from Eldred to Portville, N.Y., on 446.
