Lake Saint Louis 2011 Overlay Project Begins

Work has begun on the city's asphalt overlay project for 2011. 

On Monday morning, Thoele Asphalt Paving Inc. crews began milling on Savoy Drive. 

"We mill the surface to preserve the gutter depth," Director of Derek Koestel said in an email to Lake Saint Louis Patch. "If we didn’t mill it the pavement would get thicker, filling in the gutter, and forcing drainage into yards instead of carrying stormwater in the gutter."

After the streets are milled, Koestel said, a “prime coat” of liquid asphalt is applied prior to the overlay. "This material acts as a glue to hold the new and old materials together, as well as softening the old asphalt and filling in some small cracks," he said.

The material removed from the road in the milling process is commonly referred to as “millings," Koestel said, and can be recycled in asphalt, used for temporary or rural roads for a gravel surface or used as construction fill.  Lake Saint Louis leaves it up to the contractor to find a purpose for the millings because the city doesn't have a place to stockpile them. "We believe the material from this contract will be recycled in asphalt for other projects," Koestel said.

Access on the overlay roadways will be restricted between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.  At least 48 hours prior to construction, the contractor will deliver notifications that provide more specific closure times and instructions to the residents of the affected streets.

Parking on the street during the construction hours will be prohibited.  The City asks any resident planning to be away from home for an extended period of time to move their vehicles into his or her driveway or make other arrangements for the storage of their vehicles.

The following asphalt streets in Lake Saint Louis are part of the 2011 project:

• Champaign Drive (Ardenenes Place – Rue Grand Drive)
• Clermont Court
• Lakewood Drive (Lake Saint Louis Blvd – Lakeview Road)
• Normandy Drive (Savoy Drive – Orleans Court)
• Picardy Drive (Rue Grand Drive – Champagne Drive)
• Savoy Drive (Deloire Drive – Rue Grand Drive)
• Holloway Drive
• Regency Circle
• Brenton Court