As an economic alternative to asphaltic concretes, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation has been placing surface treatments and chip seals on its highway system for more than 45 years. Surface treatments placed over granular or soil-stabilized bases on low-traffic-density roads have provided excellent dust-free riding surfaces for the province's rural population; chip seals, considered only for maintenance functions, have been successfully employed to extendpavement life, rejuvenate oxidized surfaces, seal cracks, and improve surface friction. A variety of cover aggregates from more than 100 sources as well as many grades of liquid asphalt are used to construct seal coats in New Brunswick. The particular combination of materials ultimately decided on for any seal project is dictated by field conditions and the type of riding surface required. The construction procedures and materials used by the department today for constructing this type of surface have evolved over nearly one-half centuryof trial and error. Some of that history is related in this paper, and present-day applications of surface treatments and reseals in the region are discussed.(A).
Abstract