HLA Roads: Oil Bleeding
It is normal and expected for a tar & chip road to bleed oil depending upon the following factors:
Ambient temperature
Direct sunlight
Traffic volume
Vehicle weight
Oil type
Application rate and oil absorption rate of the road base
The HLA maintenance staff are working to address some of the areas with higher amounts of oil bleeding with additional aggregate.
This has been a normal maintenance practice for several years now, and will continue to be part of our maintenance program moving forward.
Steps were taken throughout the construction process to minimize oil bleeding, however some is to be expected. The oil type used was necessary in order for the road to have enough flexibility to allow the road to conform to the base over time, and to reduce reflective cracking.