Repairs to Highway W are expected to extend the life of the well-traveled Wayne and Butler county road, but will require residents to slow down in mid-August.
The Missouri Department of Transportation will perform sand seal repairs to just under 12 miles between Highway 60 and Route O.
It is the largest part of a more than $735,000 project, which will touch eight roads across southern Missouri between the end of July and end of September.
Work on Highway W is expected to begin in the second week of August and last two days, depending on weather, said David Wyman, MoDOT area engineer. Apex Paving Company of Cape Girardeau was awarded the contract for all eight roads, with Highway W making up nearly $138,000, Wyman said.
Traffic on Highway W will be stopped and controlled by flaggers while the work is done, Wyman said. Work zones will likely be a half-mile to three-fourths of a mile long as crews proceed through the project, he said. Vehicles will move through one lane at a time, at the direction of flaggers.
Asphalt roads are basically made up of aggregate, which includes rock, sand and an oil binder, Wyman explained. Over time, the binder continues to oxidize, becoming harder and less flexible. The roadway eventually begins to crack, allowing water to infiltrate Wyman said. This causes pavement to deteriorate even more quickly, he said.
Adding a sand filler can extend the life by a couple of years, according to Wyman.
Contractors will put down sand, followed by an oil binder. Machinery will be used to sweep the loose sand from the roadway, he said.
"Once the operation is over with, it should be fine to use," Wyman said.
Other roads under this contract include almost 4 miles of Highway 103 in Carter County, between Highway 60 and Route Z; more than 10 miles of Route Y, and 3.6 miles of Route U, both in Ripley County; 4.6 miles of Route EE in Dunklin County; and almost 4 miles of Route V in Butler County, from U.S. 160 to the end of state maintenance.