[EDITOR’S NOTE: Much of the information in this story was first brought to our readers in The Shawnee News-Star a year ago — in July 2023, when the project was being considered, and again in December when the contract was awarded. Now that the process is underway — due to many residents questioning its quality or confused about its purpose — The Shawnee News-Star is reintroducing some of the information the city shared about the roadway project.]

The past few weeks on several of the city’s main streets, significant repaving efforts with a price tag of more than $2 million have been noticed by all. According to chatter on social media, the new approach to the road repairs has many residents scratching their heads, asking, “why is it being done this way and what benefit can it offer?”

The project

Shawnee City Commissioners approved a contract for its first micro-surfacing project late last year.

Staff opened bids for the FY-24 Micro-Surfacing Streets Project on Nov. 9. One bid received was for $2,066,919.45.

“This was below our staff estimate, which was around $2.5 million,” Director of Engineering Seth Barkhimer said at the Nov. 20 Shawnee City Commission meeting.

The contract is intended to cover a little more than 19 lane miles in various segments, Barkhimer said. Six areas were chosen for this first phase; they are: Kickapoo between Shawnee Mall Drive and Wolverine Road; Garrett’s Lake Road, immediately East of Harrison; Bryan Street between MacArthur and 45th Street; Broadway between Highland and Independence; Airport Drive; and Independence between Broadway and U.S. 177.

“Donelson has provided documentation to satisfy their qualification to perform the proposed work,” he said. Staff reviewed the bid tab, he said, and recommended awarding the contract to Donelson – which the Commission approved 5-0 (The Ward 3 seat was vacant at the time and Ward 5 City Commissioner Mark Sehorn was not in attendance).

Pressure paving

This is a new approach to the way Shawnee has previously handled repairs.

In July 2023, Shawnee Director of Public Works Brad Schmidt shared news of the Pressure Pave Project to be implemented by the city – and expected to be a much cheaper cost than previous methods of repairing city roads.

“Our roads need some attention,” he said. “This is a solution we came up with to extend the life of some roads that are not quite to the (need for) full replacement.”

This project, Schmidt said, is expected to extend the life up to 15 years.

“It’s not a permanent solution, but it does buy us some time at about half the cost of a traditional Mill and Overlay – and about one-third of the time,” he said.

Mill and Overlay is the process of grinding off the top layer of existing asphalt and replacing it with new material.

The process behind pressure paving involves pressure-injecting a modified crack-seal formula into cracks while applying the surface material.

“Instead of just sealing the surface, it goes down and creates a water-sealed barrier,” adding the road is traffic accessible within 30 minutes of being treated. “It seals 100 percent of the cracks; service remains sealed even after the top surface shows the little hairline cracks, it’s still sealed underneath it.”

Schmidt said there’s no milling involved.

“Lincoln, Nebraska, just this last year (sometime in 2022 or 2023) completed a four-mile project in 10 days, and they had the Mill and Overlay process at 10 weeks, so (it’s) a significant time saver; you’re in, you’re out and you’re done,” he said.

The first step is applying the pressurized crack injection, he explained. Next, they come through with a water-resistant membrane. The third step is the second seal of the driving surface.

“It’s all in that one piece of equipment,” he said. “It does it all, almost simultaneously.”

Schmidt explained the chip or scrub seal must rely on gravity for the application to seep into the cracks.

“With the pressure pave it’s a forced injection,” he said. “It is pushing into every single crack as it goes through.”

Schmidt said this method of road repair can be used on any road with a PCI between 30 and 80.

“Value for your money is 50 range,” he said.

Schmidt said the city has eyed several areas for the first phase of this project.

“(One) of the areas we were looking at is Airport Drive,” he said. “You can start seeing the cracks, so if we were to Mill and Overlay that – that would be a $2 million to $2.5 million project,” he said. “We’re looking at $35,000 to $40,000 (for pressure paving).”

He said this process is not an answer for all roadways; it is aimed at maintaining roads that are beginning to show wear.

“It is anticipated that the first year of this project will be at a higher expenditure level than subsequent years,” then-Finance Director Lindsey McNabb Fox said in July 2023, adding an increase from the estimated $1.5 million in the first year to $2.2 million.

More info

On Facebook, in response to resident questions and concerns, Mayor Ed Bolt shared a link to the contractor’s website that provides more information about the project. The link is: https://www.donelsonconstruction.net/faqs.html#product5