I had a nice chat with Road Commissioner Tom Torno this morning regarding the question, brought up at Monday, July 13th Selectmen's Meeting, of a promise of asphalt paving on Lower Guinea road.
I explained to Tom that I was looking to find some answers on whether or not it had been promised to Mr. Richard Small, earlier this year that there would be paving done on the road, which has always been an unimproved dirt road, and according to the Road Commissioner, Selectman Ben Thompson was correct in his statement that there had never been any promise to pave Lower Guinea Road, as long as he can remember.
Torno, only newly appointed as Road Commissioner was the Road Supervisor back in March when Mr. Small came into the Selectmen's office with his concerns regarding Lower Guinea Road, claiming that the road was in such poor shape that it was effecting his business. The three member Select Board of Thompson, Heath and Philbrick were acting as Road Commissioners at the time. Speaking with Mr. Thompson after the recent Selectmen's Meeting, Thompson was confused as to why he would have been labeled a liar by the angry Lebanon resident. "Not one of us could have promised anything without the agreement of the other two," stated Thompson, "so I don't know why I was singled out and targeted on this."
Tom Torno remembers that meeting and says that there was talk about what could be done, and there was talk of placing recycled (or reclaimed) asphalt down on the road at a later date, but that no promises were made to that effect.
"I do remember saying that we would take a ride out that way, check out the road and see what we could do," says Torno in a Wednesday morning phone conversation, "but we never talked about paving that road." Torno went on to remind me of the first Selectmen's meeting that Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers attended, where there was discussion about the different roads where RAP (reclaimed asphalt product) could be used instead of gravel. Lower Guinea road had been one that was discussed, but back in early April, the decision was made to place gravel on the road due to the fact that the road was still fairly deep with frost, causing huge pot holes and shifting of the road's surface.
According to Torno, the town has enough trouble maintaining the roads that are already paved, in order to pave Lower Guinea Road, it would be a very large expense to the town. Asphalt can not just be laid down over an existing dirt road, "There would have to be some engineering and at least 6 inches of gravel would have to be added to that road to make it ready," said the Road Commissioner. "plus that road has places on it where there is ledge coming right up through the road, and that would have to be either hammered out, or blasted. If you don't do it right, you're looking at an expensive paving job that wouldn't last two years." We discussed the need to surface some roads due to more homes, and Torno added that there were only 3 or 4 homes on that part of Lower Guinea Road.
The Road Commissioner also talked about working with a tight budget and the fact that they had gone and put gravel down on that road already and that the Road Department was doing the best they could waiting for the October tax money to come in. "There is still a possibility on Lower Guinea for reclaimed asphalt," Torno said, "but we're not looking to pave that road, as we have miles of already paved road that need maintenance work."
In talking with Tom, we wondered aloud if perhaps Mr. Small had heard "asphalt" (as in RECLAIMED asphalt) and didn't know or understand what the reclaimed asphalt product actually was, therefore thinking that the road was being considered for asphalt paving. "That could be," said Torno, "but again, that road has never been considered for paving."
For better understanding, I contacted some old friends with a major Massachusetts road construction contractor and asked them for the correct definition of Reclaimed Asphalt (aka RAP).
Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is the term given to previously used, removed and processed materials containing asphalt and aggregates. These materials are created from materials recycled when asphalt pavements are removed from roadways that are being reconstructed or resurfaced, or that are being dug up in order to obtain access to buried utilities. When properly crushed and screened, RAP consists of crushed aggregates (stone) combined with crushed asphalt product.
Highway agencies and taxpayers benefit because recycling stretches tax dollars, allowing more roads to be kept in better condition.
However, when this product is placed on a roadway, does it appear as though it's been paved with virgin asphalt?
The answer is NO.
When RAP is used on a road, many people will look at the project and think that a form of crushed stone, crushed gravel, or stone dust has been applied. The product looks nothing like a freshly asphalted roadway.
Is the product a better option than just using gravel or crushed stone?
ABSOLUTELY.
The asphalt portion of RAP will soften in the Summer heat and actually adhere to the stone, this makes the material pack down better and create almost a hardened surface, while still remaining soft enough to move with the underlying dirt road. However, if the RAP is placed over wet roadways or in puddles, or if the material is placed during colder weather, it will not perform to the highest standards and could actually be washed out just like a gravel product would be.
RAP should be placed on the dry road surface to a thickness of 2 to 3 inches and then for optimum performance, the material should be rolled, filling in the deeper ruts and holes with more product as it is applied. "Just dumping the product and hoping that car and truck traffic will pack it correctly is not going to work. If you're going to place the product on a road or parking area and not roll it, you might as well just be placing gravel," said the Massachusetts firm.
Many towns and municipalities are using reclaimed asphalt on shoreline roadways, back roads, or municipal parking areas as a budget friendly and more ecology minded alternative to asphalt paving. According to my Massachusetts friend, the product puts out less leachate of oils and other petroleum by-products than asphalt does, so it is a preferred product in wetlands areas or along shoreline drives.
