Hi All,

The city's page on the subject is here:

<http://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/maintenance/repair.cfm>

They state that the aggregate gets swept after the tar material has cured, and 
it would appear that this has happened on many of the streets I ride in the 
Westmoreland and Tokay neighborhoods.

I think they are using boiler slag as an aggregate:

<http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/recycling/recwslag.cfm>

"When molten boiler slag comes into contact with water, it immediately 
fragments becoming coarse, angular, glassy particles. WBBS is a porous, glassy 
granular particle that is primarily regarded as a single-sized coarse to medium 
sand."

So yes, that sounds like it would be sharper than pea gravel. I had my first 
flat of the year after riding on newly-sealed streets on my commute. I suspect 
that the problem will go away when most of the loose material is gone, but my 
solution was to switch to tires with a puncture-resistant kevlar or aramid 
belt. Works like a charm.

Though we may not like this stuff, it seems like it significantly increases the 
life span of asphalt-paved roads at a fraction of what it would cost (in money 
or material) to repave them. Overall a positive, I'd say.

Michael


> Can anyone comment about this [below email from Ald. Lisa Subeck]? Anyone had 
> a similar experience? Heard other complaints? Know if a new material is being 
> used?
> 
> I had an email about a problem in Fitchburg forwarded to me this AM, so Steve 
> Arnold may be familiar with this, but is Madison also using something sharp 
> and pointy as aggregate?


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