With today’s crazy material and fuel prices, rehab and new road construction is just not a viable option for many national and state agencies, from the federal level through the state, county and even city levels.  As a result, these government agencies are suggesting a well-rounded preventative maintenance program as the best way to extend the life of a road, as well as a budget. As you see in the chart below, any delay in maintenance (once the road starts its decline) can cost you much more in the long run. Ignoring the problem can cause base failures that result in expensive rehab and resurfacing.

What if you could extend the life of your road up to 10 years by doing more than twice as many lane miles at half the cost of rehabbing and overlays? Oh, and improve the skid resistance for better safety, deliver the aggregate in fewer trucks therefore reducing fuel costs, and give citizens an improved riding surface they can take pride in? Sounds like a ‘no brainer.’ That is what you get when chip sealing with expanded shale. Expanded shale particles do not polish but maintains its skid resistance as the aggregate wears.  The material can extend as much as 25% farther than heavy aggregates in road applications.  Its affinity for asphalt improves the bond between particle and asphalt, whether you use a hot asphalt cement or an asphalt emulsion. All of this adds up to better value for your tax dollars.

Let’s do some calculations to estimate a cost per mile assuming you use TxDOT Grade 5 Expanded Shale and asphalt emulsion:

5,280 ft. length x 24 ft. wide= 126,720 sq. ft. / 9 = 14,080 sq. yd.

14,080 sq. yd. / 125 (Grade 5 spread rate) = approx. 113 cu. yd. of Grade 5 Expanded Shale to shoot one mile

A .3 gal shot rate for asphalt emulsion = 4,224 gallons per mile

Aggregate Costs: $30 / cu. yd x 113  =  $3,390

Asphalt Costs: $1.75/gallon x 4224 = $7,332

Total: $10,772 material costs per mile.

Even those with a modest budget can begin a maintenance program and start improving their roads immediately. A $250,000 budget can get the materials to cover about 23 miles.

Kevin King
Highway Sales Manager

Prior to serving as highway sales manager at TXI ES&C, Kevin King spent 10 years with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in construction and maintenance.  Additionally, Kevin has nearly five years of experience working in asphalt and emulsion sales, and more than six years of experience in aggregate sales and marketing.

Barrett Reese, Jr.
Highway Sales

Barrett Reese, Jr. joined TXI ES&C in 1998, initially selling expanded shale and clay specialty products that included Diamond Pro for sports fields and TruGro for horticultural applications. Two years ago, he moved to his current sales position in highway sales to work with TxDOT contractors, and county and city governments in the highway markets.  Barrett serves on the seal coat committee for TXAPA, the leadership and seal coat committees for AGC of Texas, and the asphalt committee for the national Expanded Shale, Clay & Slate Institute (ESCSI).