Road Paving & Resurfacing

Henrico County uses a preventive maintenance approach to paving. We call this strategy “The Right Treatment on The Right Road at The Right Time.” This approach calls for the use of different maintenance treatments that stop any deterioration and restore the quality of the surface pavement.

The pavement management program currently being used by Henrico County will identify roads in need of maintenance and determine the proper treatment. It also allows the county to account for adequate funding each year.

Performance of the pavement structure and the travel surface are negatively affected by several factors, including time, weather, chemical treatments such as rock salt and traffic. The challenge is to combat these factors and implement a pavement preventive maintenance program to preserve the life expectancy and enhance the safety of these surfaces.

Our general paving season is April through November, with some exceptions made depending on that year’s weather and the condition of a certain road.

Slurry seal is the most common process on residential roads. The work occurs in two phases. Prior to slurry seal resurfacing, DPW will evaluate the pavement and perform any repairs such as crack sealing and patching.

Slurry seal has been proven to extend the life of the pavement while enhancing the safety and quality of the surface.

Prior to each step of the process, residents will receive a notification either by mail or on their door handle with an expected date for the work to be done.

Typically, one side of a residential street will be treated, allowing traffic to flow in the unpaved lane. Once the newly sealed surface has cured (about 2-3 hours), the adjoining lane will then be treated.

There are many benefits to using slurry seal to lengthen the life of a road. Because only a thin layer needs to be applied, drainage and curbs are not affected. It also eliminates the need to remove the existing pavement, which is a costly and time-consuming process. This cost-saving treatment can lead to more miles of pavement being maintained countywide.

Once a road has been treated with slurry seal, the pavement will be uniform in appearance with a texture that will provide a safe and durable surface that will extend the life of the pavement by five to seven years.

The heat resurfacing process is done in three steps with breaks in between to let the new pavement set. Residents are notified a few days prior to each step.

The first step (leveling) looks like a strange, wiggly line down your road. Don’t worry – this is temporary, but it does stay for a few weeks before the next step.

The next step is the heating process. This will only take a few hours, and you will be notified by our contractor a few days prior to the process with a request to remove any cars parked along the street.

After another few weeks, the contractor will come back to seal the road. It may look visually uneven at this point, and may take a few months before it appears uniform.

Full-depth reclamation is done together in one step, but takes about a week from start to finish. It involves removing the existing road, mixing the concrete with other materials, and laying it back down in a more uniform manner.

Our contractors will place LED display signs in the area prior to this work. It’s typically done on larger roads rather than in neighborhoods.

The hot mix process is done all in one step, but you may notice trucks coming and going during the process for materials.

Residents are notified about a week in advance with a request to remove any cars parked along the street.