Street Repair
Questions or Concerns
For additional information on the City of La Palma pavement management program or to report potholes and other street damage, please call the Public Works Department at (714) 690-3310 or email publicworks@cityoflapalma.org.
Residential Street Rehabilitation Program
In 2014, the City of La Palma completed a comprehensive Seven-Year Residential Street Rehabilitation Program that ensures that all streets in the City are of the highest possible quality. Now that every street has been rehabilitated, the seven-year cycle has been extended to a nine-year cycle. The next cycle will include Rubberized Emulsion Aggregate Slurry (REAS) in residential areas to extend the life and quality of the pavement.
The City of La Palma understands that conducting pavement rehabilitation may cause inconveniences to the public. However, in order to adequately maintain the City’s streets, these repair activities must be conducted periodically in order to maximize the use of public funds. We appreciate your assistance in ensuring that your road surface is of the highest quality.
Prior to any pavement rehabilitation project, the City conducts concrete sidewalk, curb, and gutter rehabilitation, as well as crack-sealing on streets scheduled for rehabilitation. This preparation process requires adequate curing time for the concrete and crack sealing material to reach their maximum strength.
There are currently two methods of pavement rehabilitation strategies that the City uses: Rubberized Emulsion Aggregate Slurry (REAS), and Asphalt Rubber Hot Mix (ARHM) overlays. Both are described below.
Rubberized Emulsion Aggregate Slurry (REAS)
La Palma uses a slurry seal product that contains recycled tire rubber. This is not only earth conscious, but it also is a superior product to traditional asphalt slurry. Slurry seals are typically performed on streets which have minimal repair needs. The idea is to conduct periodic maintenance in order to avoid more expensive methods of rehabilitation, such as overlay or reconstruction.
During construction, care should be taken by the public. Contractors typically barricade the construction area until the pavement is ready to support vehicular traffic. When residents ignore the barricades, it not only damages the street surface, but it also tracks the material onto driveways and vehicles. If this situation occurs, cleaning costs are the responsibility of the person failing to obey the barricades.
It is also important for motorist to avoid abrupt starts, stops, or sharp turns on the freshly slurry sealed streets, especially on hot days. This can cause the slurry material to be lifted and it may leave tire tracks on the road surface.
Asphalt Rubber Hot Mix (ARHM) Overlay
Asphalt Rubber Hot Mix Overlays are typically performed on streets that have eroded significantly. Streets that are candidates for overlays have many areas of “alligator” cracking and other types of large separations in the road surface. La Palma typically uses 1½ to 2 inches of rubberized overlayment, which extends the life of road surfaces considerably. In some cases, road surfaces can last 12-15 years before requiring a slurry seal.
Overlay construction starts with edge grinding and pothole repairs to prepare the surface. Although the edge grinding creates a rough surface and a temporary depression, it is necessary in order to have the street drain properly with an adequate crown into the gutter and curb. At the completion of the edge grinding and pothole repairs, the overlay will be conducted. The temperature of the asphalt concrete pavement is extremely hot during placement. As with slurry seals, it is important that vehicles not drive over this material until the barricades have been removed.
Because the overlay product contains loose aggregate, it is common for some small rocks to become dislodged from the surface in the days following application. Approximately one week after installation, the City will conduct street sweeping in the area to remove the loose aggregate from the road surface. While it can be annoying to hear the pebbles under your car tires, it is necessary to wait until the road has fully cured before using the street sweeper on the fresh surface.
Please remember that it is important that no vehicles are driven over the road surface until the barricades are removed by the contractor. The barricades are for your safety and help to ensure the quality of the street repairs.