§ 58-65. Blacktopping.

(a)

Priority. The specific road or section of road to be upgraded shall be determined by the following criteria:

(1)

Public safety.

a.

Make access for emergency vehicles safer and more prompt;

b.

Create a suitable bypass of state and/or federal highways.

(2)

Use.

a.

Frequency;

b.

School bus routes;

c.

Main thoroughfares.

(3)

Adequate rights-of-way for proper drainage and visibility.

(4)

Equal distribution across the county.

(5)

Intergovernmental cooperation.

(b)

Contributions to cover costs. Contributions made to cover the cost of blacktop materials for a specific section of county road shall be deposited with the county treasurer prior to the start of work, in an amount to be determined by the county judge, based upon the estimated cost of the project.

(c)

Specifications.

(1)

Prime coat.

a.

A single application of bituminous material, generally a medium curing cutback asphalt, shall be applied to the approved base course prior to surfacing. Immediately preceding the prime coat application, the surface to be treated shall be swept free of foreign material. After the surface to be treated has been prepared, the prime coat shall be sprayed uniformly over the surface by means of an approved mechanical pressure distributor at a rate of application between 0.25 and 0.30 gallons per square yard.

b.

Following the application of the prime coat, where practical, the road shall be closed to traffic for a period of time sufficient to allow the proper curing of the bituminous material. Prime coat shall not be applied when the air temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, nor shall it be applied to a surface having excess moisture. The distributor shall be so adjusted and operated at all times as to distribute the bituminous material evenly.

(2)

Asphaltic concrete hot mix surface course.

a.

This item shall consist of an asphalt concrete hot mix (ACHM) wearing surface composed of a compacted mixture of mineral aggregate and asphalt binder, constructed on the completed and accepted base course.

b.

The wearing surface shall be composed of a mixture of mineral aggregate and asphalt binder as shown for ACHM surface course (half-inch) in the Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Edition 2003, section 400.

c.

The mineral aggregate for asphalt concrete hot mix surface course shall consist of a combination of coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and mineral filler. The coarse aggregate shall be crushed gravel or crushed stone. The coarse aggregate is that fraction retained on the number 10 sieve. Crushed stone shall consist of hard, tough, durable fragments of rock of uniform quality, free from an excess of soft particles. Gravel shall consist of hard, durable pebbles free from an excess of soft particles. Crushed gravel is that gravel of which 100 percent of the particles have been produced from larger particles.

d.

Asphalt binder shall be prepared from petroleum, shall be homogeneous, free from water, shall not foam when heated to 347 degrees Fahrenheit and shall comply with the specifications shown in the Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Edition of 2003, section 400.

e.

The finished surface coarse shall be compacted to not less than 92 percent of the maximum theoretical density. Hot mix bituminous material shall not be mixed or placed when the air temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit or when there is frost on the base or subgrade.

(3)

Double bituminous surface treatment.

a.

Prime coat. See subsection (c)(1) of this section.

b.

Seal coat. This item shall consist of two applications of a rapid curing cutback asphalt, each application being covered with aggregate conforming as closely as feasible to class 8 or 9 mineral aggregate, in the Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, state highway commission, 1978 edition. The rate of application of the bituminous material shall be 0.3 gallons per square yard for the first application and 0.4 gallons per square yard for the second. Aggregate application rate shall be between 30 and 40 pounds per square yard. Immediately following the placing of the aggregate, the surface shall be rolled until the aggregate is thoroughly imbedded. After the second coat is rolled, the surface should be swept. After the roadway has been subjected to traffic for a period of one to two weeks, all excess cover material shall be removed from the roadway and properly disposed.

(Code 1993, § 58-65; Ord. No. 86-4, art. II, § B, art. III, §§ A, B, 3-13-1986; Ord. No. 99-90, art. 2, 10-28-1999; Ord. No. 04-11, § 9, 4-8-2004)