Gaylor Baird, Elliott Tout PressurePave Project

Photo courtesy of Jeff Motz/KFOR News.

LINCOLN–(News Release Nov. 17)–Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Director Liz Elliott today said a new process to repair and maintain Lincoln streets saves taxpayer dollars and reduces street closure times. PressurePave preserves asphalt streets up to 10 years by injecting a crack sealant into pavement while simultaneously applying a thin asphalt overlay. Lincoln is the first city in Nebraska to use the process.

LTU Director Liz Elliott said the City will use the new process on streets that have deteriorated past the point of simple maintenance efforts but are not in poor enough condition to require more extensive repairs such as removal and installation of the street’s top layer (mill and overlay).

“PressurePave enables us to proactively extend the life of our streets at one-fifth the cost of a more in-depth street improvement project, while completing the work in a fraction of the time and resulting in minimal disruption to residents and businesses,” said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. “This innovation is truly a win-win-win.”

Throughout the four-day project in September, Donelson Construction Company used the PressurePave on more than four miles of residential streets in the Meadowlane neighborhood between “O” and Vine streets, and North 70th and North 84th streets; and the Fox Hollow and Crown Pointe neighborhoods near Van Dorn Street between South 70th and South 84th streets.

“This is just one of many street maintenance solutions our team can utilize to enhance our community’s quality of life through sound, long-lasting, money-saving infrastructure investments,” Elliott said.

The PressurePave project cost $550,000. A similarly sized mill and overlay project would have cost $3.35 million and typically takes an estimated 10 weeks to complete, Elliott said. The project also included minor maintenance such as asphalt repairs around utilities and leveling uneven areas.

LTU plans to complete a similarly sized residential PressurePave project in 2023. That project will test the performance of pavement marking materials. Locations have not been determined. Future projects will consider project size, location, and pavement conditions.

For more information on the 2022 Residential PressurePave Project, visit lincoln.ne.gov/PressurePave.