Motorists calling the Rolla Daily News on Thursday to express their displeasure with the slickness presented by the sand on Rolla city streets will find some of those roads clear by the time this report hits their doorsteps.
City Engineer Steve Hargis said his crews will begin clearing the sand from the streets at 3 a.m. today. The sand, Hargis said, was spread as work crews began crack-filling roadways to prepare for the micro-paving that will follow.
“We’ve have our crews out there beginning at 3 o’clock tomorrow (Friday),” Hargis said. “We’ve been crack-filling and without the sand the cars will pull the fill right back up.
“We’ve got to put the sand down to cover the fill, to allow it time to set. Usually, we like to do this in the wintertime when it sets a little quicker,” Hargis said. “But we’re beginning the micro-paving soon, and we’re preparing the roads to do that.”
Hargis said crews have crack-filled nine miles of city streets, and it will take a couple of days to get all the sand swept up.
After that, Hargis said, crews will begin the micro-paving project, which consists of a one-quarter-inch asphalt overlay. The process is more cost-effective, he said, than repaving, and tests show no less wear.
A handful of Rolla residents called the RDN on Thursday to express safety concerns about cornering on the sand, especially those steering motorcycles and scooters.