Resurfacing work will be completed on more than two dozen McCall streets over the next two months.
Spring Mountain Boulevard, the Boydstun-Deinhard Connector, and a host of streets in downtown McCall, including Park Street, Railroad Avenue, and State Street, are among the city roadways slated for treatment.
Also included are neighborhood roads in the Broken Ridge, Broken Timber, Fox Ridge, and Lick Creek Meadows subdivisions. A complete list of affected streets is available here.
The work will be completed in phases, with Boswell Asphalt Paving Solutions of Meridian working on one group of streets at a time.
“The plan is to start on the west side of town moving to the east and then south,” said Cris Malvich, superintendent of the city’s Streets Department. “This will cause some temporary traffic disruptions for about two weeks.”
Malvich expects the work to begin this week, but said poor weather could delay Boswell from starting until next week.
“Drivers will need to be cautious and reduce their speeds while the chips are loose and when entering and exiting the chip sealed roads from their driveways or any associated connecting roads.
Chip seal versus micro surfacing
Most of the roads will receive chip seal treatments, which involve spreading small gravel chips and applying a thin layer of oil to existing roadways to bind the chips to the road. The chips are then packed by traffic for a few weeks before a final sealing layer of oil is applied to the roadway.
The treatments help extend the life of existing asphalt, prevent potholes, and protect roads from winter snowplowing operations, Malvich said.
Meanwhile, micro surfacing treatments will be applied to First Street from East Lake Street to Park Street and Park Street from First Street to Third Street.
While the purpose of the treatments are the same, microsurfacing produces a smoother surface that is better for bicyclists, pedestrians, and parallel parking.
The $1.3 million slate of maintenance work is funded by the city’s streets local-option tax, which earns money from a 1% general sales tax and a 3% tax on short-term lodging stays.
