Mesa County road crews work on rural paving projects

A new $316,000 asphalt distributor was put to work right after being delivered to western Colorado. Work started last week on chip sealing rural roads near Mack Mesa Airport.

The vehicle was part of $2.1 million in purchase orders for equipment that needed to be replaced this year. Like other road construction around the valley, the truck’s first job was chip sealing.

“It's one of the most cost effective ways to save the taxpayers money, to prolong the life of the asphalt,” said Jason Brown, Lead Equipment Operator, Mesa County Road and Bridge. “It usually adds five to 10 years of service life out of your road.”

Besides the work on Q ¾ Road and 10 Road, crews will also be chip sealing on Glade Park with the new equipment.