Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is in the process of doing some road
resurfacing work in Cabin Point and will later be doing this work in Glebe Harbor. We
did not get advance notice that work would be undertaken. Here’s what you need to
know and how best to navigate on the newly laid road surfaces.
VDOT classifies roads throughout the Commonwealth into different categories and
specifies the type of road resurfacing that will be done. None of the roads in Cabin
Point or Glebe Harbor are eligible for asphalt resurfacing, such as you can observe on
Mt. Holly Road. The roads in our subdivision are given a “chip, tar, and sand
treatment.”
The process involves laying a tar emulsion out, on top of which is laid gravel, and a top
layer of sand completes the surface, helping to bind the gravel and tar emulsion. An
inspector is present and monitors the amount of tar emulsion and gravel laid throughout
the process to assure that the correct amounts are applied. It then takes 24 – 48 hours
for the tar emulsion/gravel/sand mixture to compact.
During this initial period, it is recommended that vehicles slow down as they drive on
the road. Driving at normal speeds will cause the gravel to flip up and out from the
vehicle tires, especially right after it is laid. Driving over the surface does help compact
the surface, but there is no roller applied to roads such as ours.
About 2 weeks after the road resurfacing is completed, VDOT is willing to come back
with a sweeper to sweep off excess gravel from the road surfaces. We would ask that
you wait for at least two weeks after the resurfacing is done to contact VDOT and
request that your road be swept.
[7/31/2022]