Long delays before final course of asphalt laid

[GCrites]

There have been two projects in my area where it is taking a long time for the final course of asphalt to go down. One is an Interstate widening (I-270 South Outerbelt between I-71 and US 23) while the other is a state route realignment and grade separation (OH-762 between US 23 and Ashville Pike). They were both finished otherwise last fall and have seen lots of traffic already. Why is the wait this long?

[GCrites]

I put this in the wrong section AGAIN.

sorry

[vtk]

Also a portion of I-71 in Morrow County.

I think trying to get the paving done in the fall, while possible in theory, might have been thought "too ambitious". I think the bureaucrats would prefer a conservative schedule rather than allocate 2014 money to a task that might be delayed to 2015 due to weather.  You can't pave in the winter, except cold mix asphalt, and that's not a proper way to finish a new road.

[hbelkins]

I don't know when asphalt plants open in Ohio, but down here, they typically open in April. It's very common for a road to be open to traffic on the base coat over the winter and then have the final coat of blacktop be put down once winter's over.

[GCrites]

Can it affect the long-term durability of the surface? On OH-762 a medium-sized pothole opened up shortly after the asphalt went down.