The City of Edmonton has used micro-surfacing (MSF), as a pavement preservation program, for 30 years. Every year, the City uses MSF to resurface several neighborhoods, minor collectors, and some industrial roads.
This paper provides the latest in the City of Edmonton’s MSF applications and practices and compares it with other surface treatments such as slurry seals and mill and pave. Several MSF application sites in the City of Edmonton with different ages, rate of applications, and aggregate gradations were visited, as case studies, to investigate their effectiveness. Other Alberta’s municipal agencies and Alberta Transportation were contacted to learn about their MSF experiences and practices to compare them with the City of Edmonton’s practices. A contractor’s perspective about MSF has been included.
Based on the City of Edmonton’s experience, the following are the most important considerations in a successful MSF program: a long-term project commitment, right project selection, material components (asphalt and aggregate), mix design, equipment calibration, monitoring, and local adjustment of rate of application. Environmental aspects, challenges, future improvements, and research topics in the area of MSF will be discussed.
