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Asphalt overlay being used to fix Mound Road

Posted at 6:19 PM, Jul 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-02 18:39:24-04

Construction starts Monday on Mound Road between 14 Mile and 18 Mile road. Crews will be milling down the concrete and putting an asphalt overlay on top.

7 Action News wanted to know if this fix will last long term. We spoke with road expert Nishantha Bandara, who is an associate professor of Civil Engineering at Lawrence Technical University. Bandara also worked for MDot for six years.

He says the asphalt overlay is the best way to save on money, saying the concrete costs too much money and time.

“You can get all the concrete out, base out, and you can do a concrete construction of the pavement that’s going to last about 20 years, but it’s going to cost a whole lot of money,” Bandara said.

He says the asphalt overlay will last anywhere between seven to ten years, depending on the condition of the road. He says it is also faster to do.

“Asphalt can open to traffic pretty quickly and concrete, you have to wait until about more time for concrete to keel and you cannot open it right way for traffic,” Bandara said.

While some prefer the long-term fix, others are just happy to see something being done.

“Anything to get this road smoother and better I’ll take it," said Westly Longshore of Sterling Heights. "Short-term, long-term, whatever it takes.”