Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance personnel have been scheduled to apply a chip seal surface treatment to State Road 250 this coming week.

Weather permitting, crews will place pavement preservation materials atop 20 lane miles of the east-west highway between State Road 3 in Jennings County and a pavement break 0.34 miles east of Interstate 65 in Jackson County.

INDOT officials advise motorists to drive slowly and with caution where chip seal has been freshly applied to avoid spray damage to vehicles.

Chip seal operations coat roadways with liquid asphalt that seal pavement cracks, protecting against moisture intrusion and degradation from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Small chips of limestone are used to cover the fresh asphalt, “choking” its fluidity and adhesion to minimize spray from traffic and stickiness to tires, according to a news release from INDOT. The aggregate chips also restore surface friction for better maneuverability and improved stopping capabilities.

These applications are cost-effective and extend the service life of functional highways. Every $1 spent on this type of surface treatment saves $6 to $14 in subsequent expenditures.