Cape Seal
Contract-Ready Construction Specification Guidelines
Download GuidelinesLearn about the benefits of Cape Seal (Chip + Micro) Treatments
When two consistently high-performing forces come together, great things happen. Cape seals are an example of just that. The dynamic duo of roadway maintenance, cape seals combine the benefits of both a slurry surfacing system and a chip seal, which enables them to provide more protection and durability as compared to that of other preventative measures alone.
Cape seals reduce life cycle costs by 25 percent when compared to hot mix asphalt overlays and can extend the life of a roadway by roughly 6-8 years by addressing both preventative maintenance and rehabilitation needs. Moderately to severely cracked pavement, loss of friction and water penetration can all be addressed using cape seals. However, they are not recommended for use on unsealed cracks ¼” or greater (unless a scrub seal is used) or for ruts more than ⅜ deep.
A combination of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions products eScrub (a chip seal system) and eFlex (a premium micro surfacing mixture) can be used in tandem to provide a reliable cape seal treatment.
Best Practices
- A mix design for the individual treatments is required.
- Calibrate all equipment.
- Clean pavement prior to application.
- Allow up to 3 days for chip seal to cure before applying the slurry surfacing treatment.
- Follow best practices when patching and leveling, and during final application of all treatments.
- Construction Specs for individual treatments can be found in the Sample Construction Specification Guidelines section of this website.
Pavement Preservation Success
Success Story: Cape Seal
DownloadLouisiana’s U.S. Route 84 was suffering from extensive pavement wheel path rutting and shoving. To correct the problem, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) provided a budget of $2.25 million to execute repairs for the 17.5-mile length of road.