Gravel on your Austin neighborhood street? Here's why

AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you've ever came home after a day of work and noticed there's new gravel on the ground, it's probably a temporary, albeit cost effective, road repair known as Sealcoat.

KXAN Traffic Anchor Erica Brennes spoke with Jermaine Bunton, division manager of pavement operations with the City of Austin, as workers put down Sealcoat in a northeast Austin neighborhood. Below is a transcript of their discussion, edited for clarity.

Bunton: "What you see here is our Sealcoat process. It's one of three major treatments that we apply to our city streets. Sealcoat prolongs the life of our streets. It gives us about another five or six years so that we don't have to come in to replace the entire road for you guys. It's a light gravel that we apply on asphalt rocks, and oil binds to the ground."

Brennes: “Is this something that you guys do ahead of the summer months? Because I know that weather takes a toll on city streets."

Bunton: "We start this process in March, early March into May... and it extends throughout the summer. It's over on Oct. 1. We have to do this in the summer months, because of the material that we use, the hotter it is, the easier it is to bind to the road."

Brennes: "Can we see this happening throughout different parts of Austin?"

Bunton: "Our program has 1,000 lane miles, we do about 800 per year. We have another two days in this neighborhood. After this, we'll be moving over to Tarrytown. So you'll see us out there."

Bunton: “Before we even do anything to the streets, our guys come out 30 days before and put out notices, three days prior and put out notices. And there are numbers to myself, the division manager, the supervisors and superintendents on those notes."

Brennes: "You’ll have to move your car. You have to make [room]. These trucks are big that come through."

Bunton: "Yes, we provide those notices and let the citizens know we'll be out there in 30 days. Please move your cars because if not, then we may have to send a tow truck in. Now we don't take the cars to the yard, we just tell you your car's around the block. But that's the inconvenience for anybody."

Brennes: "Well, thank you so much, Jermaine, for your time."

To learn more, visit the City of Austin site for Pavement Operations.