Crow’s Nest: And speaking of roads…

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

…next week our township will be coating two roads that pass by parts of the preserve—including Piersol Road, where the entrance to our parking area is located—with tar and chips. The other one is Northside Road, which passes through our Deep Woods on its way to the State Game Lands and residences further west in the township. These roads are marked with signs saying the work will be done next week.

You can drive on the surface shortly after it is put down, but you might want to avoid the area for a few hours. If you drive on the wet tar it could spatter on your car. And until the chips are embedded they too can be kicked up on the car. Even for the following few days, driving on these roads will be a bit dusty. Then it settles in to be a high traction surface that should last around ten years. This coating is used to refresh rural roads where traffic is light enough that asphalt is not needed.

Keep in mind that this surface will always behave a bit differently than asphalt. In extremely hot weather tar can bubble up an be sticky. Under most conditions, you should not turn your steering wheel unless the car is actually moving; turning the steering wheel while not moving will churn up the road surface. As we work on the preserve we try to be careful—leaving part-time four-wheel-drive systems engaged on our tractor or truck while driving on this surface will also tear it up.

Bear with us while the improvements are being done; the finished surface will look nice and hold up far better than, for example, a gravel road.