Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall gave the county commissioners an update this week on their efforts to lay new asphalt on County Road 700 East. Siddall told the commissioners that he had sent a sample of their asphalt to the state laboratory in Indianapolis, and the results came back good. The state indicated that the typical pug asphalt mix is typically anywhere between 3.8 percent and 4.5 percent for asphalt content, and their mix results were ideal.
Siddall told the commissioners that the asphalt generally takes about a month to harden up after being mixed, so they typically mix the asphalt in the spring and lay it in late summer, allowing the material to flow in the summer heat.
Commissioner Dan Bridegroom said there was a problem with the asphalt that had been laid on County Road 700 East: the asphalt had hardened on top but was still flexible and soft beneath the top layer, causing the road to be as rough as it was before the county relaid the asphalt. Siddall explained that the road should smooth out once it cures, but if they do choose to resurface the road once again, it would take less than a day to do so. Bridegroom suggested closing the road to through traffic until the work is done, but because the weather at this time of year is a bit unpredictable, they will have to wait for a few guaranteed warm days in a row to do the work. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, Siddall said they will have to wait until next summer.
