1 car ended up on its side, the other in a canal. Both were speeding on fresh chip seal
Police are asking drivers to pay attention to reduced speeds in work areas after two wrecks in Franklin County over the weekend.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said that in both cases the drivers were going faster than the reduced 35 mph speed limit in areas that had recently been chip coated.
One car ended up in an irrigation channel, and the other on its side. The sheriff’s office did not report any serious injuries.
Chip coating is a type of seal coating where crews use asphalt binding and aggregate chips to lay a fresh layer on a road.
This can cause the roads to be slick with cars getting less traction, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.
The wrecks happened nearby about six hours apart on Sunday on Glade Road, just south of Fir Road near Eltopia.
According to WashDot, chip coating helps keep water from penetrating the roadway, provides an anti-glare surface and reduces the likelihood of skidding in wet conditions.
In addition to the danger of sliding off of roads when a chip coat has been recently applied, drivers could also kick up dust and gravel.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 11:22 AM.
