Submitted by the Town of Friday Harbor
Second Street will be fog sealed starting the week of July 27. The exact date depends on the weather and county’s ability to complete other sections of the roadway on San Juan Island that week. Work is estimated to last one day. Second Street will then be re-striped with fresh paint and crosswalk markings as soon as practical. Questions and comments can be forwarded to Town Public Works at 360-378-2154 or 360-378-2810.
What to expect:
• FOG SEAL – Depending on the product used, “fog seal” is usually a tar-like substance that is extremely difficult to clean if allowed to dry on paint, tires and rims. Do not drive on a wet fog seal.
• NO PARKING – “No Parking” signs will be placed on the sidewalks next to the street 24-to-48 hours in advance of the work. Once the process begins, all vehicles must be removed from the project area. Vehicles remaining on the street will be towed at the owner’s expense.
• ROAD CLOSED TO TRAFFIC – No through traffic will be permitted on Second Street from the intersection of Spring Street to the intersection of Blair Avenue. This includes the intersections. The road may be closed for part of the day to minimize exposure to fresh fog seal.
• LOCAL ACCESS ONLY – Pedestrian access will be maintained. When feasible, flaggers will direct vehicles for local access to private parking. Drivers should expect delays and, if possible, plan alternate parking.
• DETOUR – The public is asked to use alternate routes such as Blair Avenue.
Town construction work will be assessed on a day-by-day basis due to weather. As always, drive carefully and thank you in advance for proceeding with caution in areas where Crews are working in the roadway.
Motorists should take care when driving through chip seal zones on the Island. It is very important to respect and adhere to posted speed limits and other instructions to help prevent oil and chips from damaging vehicles.
The process begins when Crews begin to prep future chip seal roads by street sweeping, crack sealing and cleaning road shoulders of debris. Next is the actual chip seal application. Liquid asphalt is applied to each lane. This is immediately followed by a chip spreader applying chips (rocks). A roller then sets the chips into the fresh oil.
Once the asphalt has fully set, a sweeper truck will remove the excess chips. The final step, the fog seal, is a second application of oil that controls loose rocks and dust and provides a fresh surface for pavement markings.
