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What To Expect During Street Resurfacing
Field Services Annual Street Resurfacing Program

A Safe Work Site

Safety is our top priority. We want you to be safe around the worksite. Freshly placed asphalt can reach temperatures greater than 300 °F which can burn unprotected skin and paws of animals walking across the surface. Wet concrete can cause chemical burns if it comes into contact with skin. Please keep children, pets, bikes, cars, and trucks away from the tools, machines, supplies, and construction workers.

Paint Markings

In the week(s) before construction begins, paint markings will begin to appear on the surface within the worksite. These markings indicate the presence of underground facilities. The markings allow workers to dig safely around those facilities. For more information about these markings and what they indicate, please visit NC811.org.

Traffic Delays

The work will slow down traffic in your neighborhood. Please lower travel speeds, read the traffic signs and follow directions from workers with flags.

Access To Your Home or Business

You will be able to go to your home or business, but you may not be able to park as close as you would like. We will make every effort to ensure driveways and parking lot entrances stay open if it is safe to do so.

Parking Restrictions

We want you to be safe, so you might not be able to park your car next to workspaces, equipment, or materials. If crews are working directly in front of your home or business, you may need to park in another place. “No Parking” signs will be placed a minimum of 24 hours in advance of resurfacing operations.

Equipment Storage

Sometimes we will leave tools, machines, and supplies on your street overnight. Please stay away from them. If you see anyone on or around municipal equipment and supplies that do not work for the City of Raleigh, please contact 911.

Sequence of Work

“Resurfacing” involves more construction activity than just asphalt paving. Generally, construction will follow this order: concrete access ramp upgrades, curb and gutter replacement, utility adjustments, patching/milling, paving, pavement markings, and signal loop detectors. Our work schedules can change for many reasons like weather, traffic, and problems with equipment. Sometimes we need to stop between different types of work and start again later.

Irrigation Systems

Concrete access ramp upgrades may impact irrigation systems if they were installed within the City right-of-way. Our workers will make every effort to not affect these systems.

Personal Property Damage

If your personal property was damaged by this construction, please file a claim with our Risk Management Department.

Concrete Access Ramps

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the City to upgrade curb ramps to meet the current standards when streets, roadways, or highways are altered. Alterations include activities such as reconstruction, rehabilitation, resurfacing, widening, and other projects of the same scale and effect.

What is Street Resurfacing?

Our roadway system consists of asphalt concrete (AC) and concrete streets. Over the last 40 years, these roads have seen an increase in the vehicle traffic as well as a decrease in the amount of funding available to adequately repair and resurface these roadways. Unfortunately, the result is that we have a significant number of roadways in need of repair and resurfacing. Our Street Maintenance Division actively monitors and performs temporary and minor repairs to roadways. In addition, each year, our Engineering Division manages a large-scale street resurfacing capital improvement project with an annual budget of $800,000-$1,200,000/annually depending on gas tax revenues.

Roadway resurfacing strategies that are currently implemented include:

Micro-Surfacing/Slurry Seal: A protective seal coat. It is a thin, tough layer of asphalt emulsion blended with finely crushed stone for traction.
Asphalt Overlay: The highest form of street maintenance, asphalt overlay involves grinding away a portion of the existing roadway and the placement of a new layer of asphalt, approximately two inches thick, on the street. Properly maintained, an overlay can extend the life of the street by 20-25 years although heavily used streets may require more frequent overlays.

It is not possible to apply resurfacing strategies to concrete streets as the concrete would break the teeth on the grinding equipment. Concrete streets require full-depth roadway reconstruction.

There is always a gap between each step of the resurfacing process, especially steps 1 and 2, as each step requires different equipment, materials and personnel. Many of the utility structures belong to private utility companies who are responsible for their adjustment. CDOT coordinates closely with these private companies to keep this gap as short as possible. However, several days may elapse between steps.