By Marianne Lincoln

Remember the recent chip sealing project Pierce County was doing on the Orting Kapowsin Highway at the end of May?

Have you noticed the loose gravel all over the road since that time?

That loose gravel is not normal, in fact, the past several years, the county has been using a technique that lays down a pretty solid layer of sticky gravel coating that barely leaves a rock chip to throw at your window or anyone else’s. So what happened on the O-K Highway?

I spoke to Paul Marsh from the Pierce County Planning and Public Works Road Maintenance Division, Tuesday. The road work was done by the Public Works crew.

The oil that was supplied for the work was the wrong grade. The oil was too thin. They acknowledge that the resurfacing project failed.

The county is going to get the appropriate product and resurface the road an additional time as it is a critical Hill. Right now they are working on the procurement of the correct product and planning how best to seal over the oil that is exposed on the roadway at this time.