Road Repairs, Speed Claim 2 Vehicles in Franklin County Crashes
Franklin County Deputies responded to a pair of road repair-related crashes on Sunday. Much of Glade Road is being repaired via the chip-seal method.
Two crashes about five hours apart
The first crash occurred Sunday morning, near the intersection with Dogwood Road, a number of miles north of Pasco. A pickup was traveling at excessive speeds for road conditions, the driver apparently lost control and rolled the truck on its side. No word if any injuries.
Then about five hours later, a sedan traveling on Glade near Fir Road apparently slid out of control and ended up nose down in the irrigation canal running alongside the road. No word if any injuries.
Franklin County officials say, for the time being, slow down.
The FCSO says it's important for drivers to go slower on the chip-sealed roads, that's why they have 35 MPH signs posted.
What is chip-seal?
In case you weren't sure, the chip-seal process is when a thick layer of oil is put down on a road, then covered with small rock chips. These are then rolled to compress them and as the tar dries it creates a high-grip durable surface (when it's done correctly).
It's also apparently a lot cheaper than laying down a new strip of asphalt. That's why on county roads, and even some highways, you drive for miles through the gravel that pops up and chips your windshield. Now you know.
My 2012 Dodge Ram pickup had to have a windshield replaced last year because of a big crack sustained while driving on Highway 12 to Walla Walla the last time they did a chip-seal on the road.
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