Campaign update: Highway 35/Skyline Surface Quality

Last we updated you in late 2013 on Skyline Blvd., Caltrans District 4 had promised to apply a sand seal treatment on Highway 35 to address the poor surface quality resulting from a chip seal maintenance job in Fall 2012. Early in fall 2015, Caltrans completed the 22-mile sand seal project!This action was a direct result of the many letters that Caltrans received from you, our members, complaining of the bumpy and pothole-ridden roadway as well as SVBC's meeting onsite with Caltrans staff. A UC Davis Pavement Research Center report recommended sand seal as the most appropriate treatment and it was also the treatment used with a similar issue on Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo.Because of our advocacy, in 2013, Caltrans also repaired over 150 potholes that existed prior to the chip seal job. It was at this time that they made the commitment to apply sand seal and programmed it into the earliest budget cycle that they could, to be ultimately completed in summer 2015.A big thank you to Caltrans for undertaking the sand seal project to attempt to address the rough surface issue on Highway 35 as well as addressing our concerns after the initial sand seal application to ensure uniform application. The regular repaving schedule is seven to nine years, meaning Highway 35/Skyline would not have otherwise been addressed until 2019-2021!The sand seal was not the perfect solution but it did significantly improve the roadway. This was the best option for Highway 35 with the resources and knowledge available, outside of redoing the whole thing. We applaud Caltrans for trying something new that was based on solid data, research from the UC Davis Pavement Research Center, and examples from elsewhere in the state. It has been great working with Caltrans staff on this!We’ve requested an update of the vibration tests on Highway 35 by the UC Davis Pavement Research Center to measure the before (with chip seal) and after (with sand seal) bumpiness. This campaign has strengthened our relationship with Caltrans and opened the communication channels to ensure that a similar situation does not occur in the future. Thanks to everyone who has been involved!If you ride on Highway 35 regularly, let us know in the comments how the surface feels to you.