March 19, 2024

DOT makes repairs on First Avenue

Citizens traveling along First Avenue may have noticed a white paper on the road recently. The Iowa Department of Transportation, which maintains Highway 6 or First Avenue, did a five year maintenance by filling cracks along the road.

“The state did some crack sealing. It was five years ago they did an overlay from basically Highway 14 to the downtown area, to West Fourth Street,” Keith Laube, Newton Public Works Director said. “What they did was a five year maintenance plan, they came in and crack sealed.”

There are typically three options for sealing cracks in the road. The Iowa DOT chose to put a very thin paper along with the tar sealant in the cracks so cars could continue to travel on the road.

“Most people see it on the freeway because they can’t close down the freeway and don’t want to put down any grit on the freeway so they use the paper. With the traffic, it gets pulverized pretty quickly,” Laube said. Another option would be to close the street for a half a day and allow the sealant to cool, dry and harden.

“The crack sealant is warm material so it can be pulled out by tires,” Laube said. The third option, which the city uses frequently, is to put down lime, which is more of a sandy, gritty material along with the sealant.

Highway 6 is the only street in Newton that is maintained by the DOT. It does pay the city of Newton to do certain maintenance to the street such as plow snow and fill small potholes.

Contact Staff Writer Jamee A. Pierson at (641) 792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com.