Numerous Schuylkill County Roads Getting Oil-and-Chip Treatment Now Thru July

Numerous state roadways in Schuylkill County are in line to get or have begun receiving oil-and-chip treatments.

You’ve probably seen the signs everywhere you’ve driven around the area and wondered when are they actually going to do this.

The oil-and-chip treatment has begun on some roads. And according to Ronald Young, PennDOT District 5 Press Officer, this will continue through the end of July.

He says oil-and-chipping is typically done on low-volume state roads as a means of extending the life of the pavement between paving and resurfacing. Oil-and-chipping can last between 5-7 years, Young says.

This treatment is applied to roads when it’s warmer than 60° and involves a sweeper, oil distributors, a stone chipper, rollers, dump trucks and a crew of about 21 people.

Roads are first swept clean of debris. Oil is then applied to the roads, immediately followed by a layer of stone. It’s then rolled and any loose stone is swept from the road.

Newly oil-and-chipped roads can be rather slippery and Young advises motorists to lower their speed on any surfaces that have just received this treatment. It takes about 2 days for the stones to fully bond to the asphalt, he says.

Here is a list of state roadways in Schuylkill County that are due to get an oil-and-chip coating through the end of July. Sections of these roads will get treated between now and then:

• SR 209
• SR 443
• SR 895
• SR 924
• SR 1001
• SR 1002
• SR 2001
• SR 2002
• SR 2003
• SR 2005
• SR 4009