Some Loomis roads to close for repair work

With fair weather continuing through late October, the town of Loomis will begin resurfacing selected roadways, completely closing some stretches. A "slurry seal" resurfacing treatment will be completed on various roadways throughout Loomis from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18, according to Loomis Town Engineer Merrill Buck. A slurry seal is a mixture of water, asphalt emulsion, aggregate (very small crushed rock), and additives to an existing asphalt pavement. A slurry seal is similar to a "fog seal," except the slurry seal has aggregate in the mix. Buck said the Loomis street network has been steadily dropping at a rate of about two points per year and now stands at a score of 56 (out of 100). "This means that while our average street is still in 'good' condition, we're not too far from 'poor' (50)," Buck said Wednesday. "Streets are much more expensive to repair the further they deteriorate. Ideally, you want to seal streets in the good range and keep them there, so that they never become poor." Loomis officials urge residents to choose an alternate route or follow detour signs, as roads will be completely closed to traffic. Also check for no parking signs, officials said. During the closure, a layer of sand and oil will be placed to seal the streets, which take about two hours to dry, according to the staff report. Loomis roads tentatively scheduled for resurfacing on Oct. 14, include Sable Ridge Court, Shady Canyon Court, Rutherford Canyon Road, Colvin Drive, Joan Way, Francis Drive, Eagle's Nest Drive and Orchard Park Way. Loomis roadway tentatively scheduled for closure on Oct. 17 include Rutherford Canyon Road, Blackhawk Court, Lane Montserrat, Colvin Drive, Brooks Avenue, Francis Drive, Orchard Park Way, Orchard Park Court and Lemos Ranch Road, according to the staff report. Loomis roads tentatively scheduled for closure on Oct. 18 include Hunters Drive, Ash Court, Elm Court, Myrtle Drive, Pearson Avenue, Walnut Street, Del Oro Drive and Lemos Ranch Road, according to the staff report. The project includes improving speed bumps on Delmar Avenue and Bankhead Road on Oct. 18, Buck said. The paint used to alert drivers to a speed bump has faded to such a degree that town officials have received complaints from residents driving over them at full speed. "While we want to slow people down, we don't want people getting hurt," Buck said While the slurry seal targets good streets that can benefit, Buck said, the town will tackle streets in worse condition next year with a more expensive rubber chip seal. A rubber chip seal was recently placed on Laird Road.