The product, called Reclamite, is expected to make pavement last at least four to five more years, and in some cases longer.
Reclamite is applied to streets in liquid form before other materials are applied on top of it to remove moisture goblets, “and then it’s swept up after that,” Williams said.
The city buys it through a state of Ohio bidding process.
“Numerous municipalities in the area have been using it for decades, and we’ve started implementing it here in Hamilton last summer,” Williams said.
Fairfield, Mason and West Chester Twp. “have been using it for years,” he said. “We actually called some of those municipalities and said, ‘Why does your pavement seem to be maintaining its texture and look, and aesthetic beauty so much longer than others?”
Voters last year approved a 10-year, 3.9-mill street-repair levy that starting this year will generate $3.1 million annually and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $136.50 a year, or the owner of a $75,000 home $102.38.
“I said it doesn’t make sense to put these hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars, and in some cases, millions of dollars into the pavement, and not have a way to preserve it, so we don’t have to replace it so often,” Williams said. “That’s how this all came about.”
Ideally, Reclamite should be used within four years after a street has been paved, he said. It helps by keeping moisture out. You keep the moisture out, you increase the life.”
The application prevents pitting of roadways, which can lead to cracks and then potholes.
One drawback of the Reclamite use is, “We shouldn’t put it on anything older than four years,” he added.
Industry literature says Reclamite adds 5-7 years to the life of asphalt surfaces for less than a dollar per square yard.
A study of pavement in Roswell, Ga., found the application can extend the life of pavement about eight years.
“So if we are successful in our mission, we can actually push out, for eight years, where we have to do some serious re-pavement of our roads and streets,” he said.
Streets in the Highland Park neighborhood will receive Reclamite this year, among other areas.
The city in June also bought a crack-sealing machine, and put it into operation in July.
“We actually went back and crack-sealed everything that we had paved from 2020 through 2015,” Williams said. When the weather warms up, that will continue, he said.
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