In order to provide more options to quickly and cost-effectively repair damaged roads, the City of San Diego’s Transportation Department has implemented two new street resurfacing methods and work is currently underway in Kensington, Talmadge, Grantville, San Carlos, North Park, Bay Park and several other communities.

The new slurry-like sealing methods, called cape seal and scrub seal, are commonly used treatments and will help extend the life of roads by filling cracks, protecting against moisture incursion and minimizing the development of potholes and other surface deformities.

“The addition of these new resurfacing methods to the Transportation Department’s Pavement Management program will lead to increased, long-lasting improvements for our City’s streets,” said Transportation Department Director Bethany Bezak. “While these treatments take a little longer to complete, we know San Diegans will appreciate the results when the roads are in better condition and safer for all users. Our team is focused on using every tool in the toolbelt to address our City’s backlog of street repair.”

Cape seal treatment involves the application of asphalt emulsion followed by a layer of crushed rock that must cure for three days before a slurry seal is applied. During the three-day curing period, some loose crushed rock will be on the roadway surface until the final slurry seal application is complete.

Scrub seal treatment involves the application of asphalt emulsion followed by a layer of crushed rock that is swept into small cracks over the roadway. The asphalt emulsion and crushed rock cure which is then followed by an application of fog seal. During the curing period, pebble-sized aggregate rock will cover the roadway surface until the fog seal application is complete. For both cape and scrub seal applications, the City’s contractor vacuums loose gravel prior to the curing period.

During the process of both the cape and scrub seal, the selected street will be closed to all traffic and “No Parking” signs will be posted 72 hours in advance of construction. Explanatory signs will be posted on the street, as well as flyers distributed to nearby residents. All vehicles left on the street in violation of the signs will be towed. During the curing process, signs will remind drivers to drive slowly and cautiously over the freshly applied aggregate rock on the roadway surface.

The latest work as part of Surface Seal Project 2421 and 2422 will be completed, weather permitting, through the months of April and May. The following roads will be resurfaced:

• Augustana Place
• Austin Drive
• Atlanta Drive
• Baylor Drive
• 58^th Street
• Adelphi Place
• Antioch Place
• Collier Avenue
• Adams Avenue
• Olympic Place
• Olympic Street
• 69^th Street
• Racine Road
• Zena Drive
• Vista Grande Drive
• Kensington Drive
• University Avenue
• Fairmont Avenue
• 41^st Street
• 43^rd Street
• Krenning Street
• El Cajon Boulevard
• Montezuma Road
• Morning Mist Court
• Suntree Place
• Cowles Mountain Boulevard
• Bisby Lake Avenue
• Beaver Lake Court
• Beaver Lake Drive
• June Lake Drive
• Lake Decatur Avenue
• Lake Dora Avenue
• Badger Lake Avenue
• Budlong Lake Avenue
• Rainswept Lane
• Rainswept Way
• Crystal Lake Avenue
• Merced Lake Avenue
• Glenlea Lane
• Overlake Avenue
• Ridgemoor Drive
• Crystalaire Drive
• Adobe Falls Road
• Ward Road
• Rancho Mission Road
• Vandever Avenue
• Seaman Street
• Glacier Avenue
• Gramercy Drive
• Aero Drive
• Ilion Street
• Tokalon Street
• Fairfield Street
• Castle Hills Drive
• Cassandra Lane
• Foothill Boulevard
• Turquoise Street
• Jumano Avenue
• Cecelia Trail
• Garfield Road
• Milton Court
• Penrose Street
• Dunhaven Street
• Northaven Avenue
• El Mac Place
• John Street
• Moana Drive
• Temple Street
• Hill Street
• Osprey Street
• Tivoli Street
• Seville Street
• Shadowlawn Street
• Locust Street
• Malaga Street
• Madrid Street
• Meadow Grove Drive
• Michaelmas Trail
• Coronado Avenue
• Orchard Avenue
• Long Branch Avenue
• Leland Street
• Worden Street
• Evergreen Street
• North Evergreen Street
• 1^st Avenue
• 2^nd Avenue
• 6^th Avenue
• 7^th Avenue
• 8^th Avenue
• Alcorn Place
• Alleghany Street
• Alma Place
• Altamont Drive
• Altamont Way
• Arizona Street
• Bancroft Street
• Blackstone Court
• Briarwood Road
• Britannia Boulevard
• Brookes Avenue
• Calle Chanate
• Calle Tortuosa
• Chadwick Avenue
• Childs Avenue
• Cleveland Avenue
• Clinton Street
• College Avenue
• Date Street
• Division Street
• Dublin Drive
• Harding Avenue
• Homedale Street
• Homesite Drive
• Illinois Street
• Jason Street
• Landscape Drive
• Leghorn Avenue
• Mchaney Court
• Meadowbrook Drive
• Ocean View Boulevard
• Olivewood Trail
• Panasonic Way
• Petal Drive
• Picador Boulevard
• Plateu Drive
• Plaza Boulevard
• Potomac Street
• Rancho Hills Drive
• Reo Court
• Reo Drive
• Rustic Drive
• S 38^th Street
• Saipan Drive
• San Mateo Drive
• Schuyler Street
• Sea Breeze Drive
• Signal Avenue
• Southlook Avenue
• Spruce Street
• Superba Street
• Superior Street
• Talbot Street
• Viewpoint Drive
• Waterville Road

Like slurry seal, cape seal and scrub seal are used to prevent the deterioration of streets, which is vital to improving the overall condition of San Diego’s network of roads. It reduces the need for a more costly asphalt overlay and reconstruction for badly deteriorated streets. Information about different types of street repair, including the addition of cape and scrub seal can be found in the Transportation Department’s Pavement Management Plan found on the Transportation Department’s website.

These resurfacing applications are often completed in phases over several days or weeks. Multiple cape, scrub and slurry seal projects are happening across the City simultaneously and are often coupled with other facilities updates to increase safety and mobility for all modes of transportation.

Streets are selected for resurfacing through a pavement management system that helps determine when to schedule streets and what treatment to use. Each street segment is assigned a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score based on the pavement’s overall condition.

To prioritize street paving, the PCI is used in conjunction with other factors, such as traffic volume, road type, equity, climate resiliency, mobility, maintenance history, other construction projects, and available funding. Repairs are often grouped within a neighborhood to include streets in similar conditions or performed after other projects, such as pipeline replacement.

View a map of past, current and future street repair in your neighborhood by visiting the City’s interactive StreetsSD map.