<p>A section of State Road 44 west of Franklin will have lane closures starting next week as workers chip-seal the road and then put a protective coating of asphalt on it.</p>
<p>A 3.5-mile section of State Road 44 will be chip-sealed from State Road 135 to State Road 144. About 4,300 vehicles drive that stretch of State Road 44 each day, according to data from the Indiana Department of Transportation.</p>
<p>Chip-seal work is scheduled for July 5, 6 and 9. Workers will return from July 16 to July 18 to place the final layer of liquid asphalt, the news release said. The schedule could change, based on the weather.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>That section of State Road 44 isn’t in poor condition. The chip-seal work is part of the state’s maintenance schedule to keep roads from deteriorating to the point of needing more costly repairs, Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Harry Maginity said.</p>
<p>“We don’t do pavement preservation if there isn’t pavement to preserve,” Maginity said. “We consider it worth treating to give it more surface life. We wouldn’t surface treat it if there are problems. We are trying to keep the road in good condition.”</p>
<p>The road will be closed to through traffic while work is underway. Local residents will still have access to their properties, Maginity said. Drivers should use State Road 135 and State Road 252 as detours, he said.</p>
<p>Chip-sealing is a cost effective method to extend the life of a road, as the price can be nearly as low as 10 percent of other pavement preservation methods, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation. The process begins with a layer of liquid asphalt, followed by a layer of crushed stone and another light layer of asphalt.</p>
