KELLOGG — Residents of the city of Kellogg will be noticing some road construction crews over the next few weeks as the city begins the process of chip sealing the many streets of Kellogg.

Just a year removed from the completion of their multi-million dollar sewer project, which saw them replace nearly 100% of the existing sewer lines in the city — with that came a subsequent need to redo almost all of the city’s roads.

According to Rod Plank, a project manager with the city of Kellogg, the process is likely to follow a similar course as that sewer project, with much of the properties within the “Phase 1 and Phase 3” portion getting the first rounds of the seal.

“Over the course of the next three years, the plan is to get it all sealed,” Plank said. “There is probably going to be a combination of Phase 1 and Phase 3. Everything basically from Main Street headed east is Phase 1, Phase 3 is basically the other parts of the uptown area.”

The other parts of Kellogg will be handled in the coming years.

Chip sealing is a relatively common practice that allows municipalities to extend the life of their roads while remaining cost prohibitive (roughly $1 per square foot for new chip seal, compared to $7 per square foot for new asphalt).

As the existing asphalt is utilized, things like the everyday use as well, as the elements (water, oxidization, dirt) all wear on it — causing the pavement to become brittle and crack.

If untreated for too long, these cracks get larger and larger and eventually you have potholes or a series of them.

A chip seal serves to seal the narrow cracks, help bind together cracked pavement, provide a wearing (driving) surface, and protect the underlying pavement structure.

Chip seals can last several years, but the life of it varies depending on the road and what it is exposed to.

“You will probably seal the bulk of the project beginning in about two weeks,” Plank said. “But there are already crews out sealing up a few bigger cracks and things before we come through and put the seal down.”

For more information, please contact the city of Kellogg at 208-786-9131.