Hot rubberized crack sealing in Cisco Grove.

What the work involves

Cracks get cleaned out and filled with hot rubberized sealant that stays flexible through the freeze and thaw cycles. It is the highest-value pavement work at this elevation, because it stops water before water becomes ice inside your pavement.

Why it matters at this elevation

Filling cracks is not cosmetic work. The asphalt is only the wearing surface. The load is carried by the compacted base underneath, and that base fails when it gets wet and freezes. Cracks are how it gets wet, which makes sealing them structural work in everything but name.

At roughly 5,580 feet, this sits toward the lower end of our range, with a slightly longer season than the high country around the lake. Pavement here dries out earlier in the spring than the ridge communities do, which usually means the working season opens a few weeks sooner. That does not make it mild. It still cycles through freezing and thawing constantly on both shoulders of winter, and that cycling is what opens cracks.

How the job runs

Cracks get blown out with compressed air first so the sealant meets clean dry walls instead of dirt. Material goes in hot, flows down into the opening, and cools into a flexible seal. Wide or deep openings may take backer material so the sealant sits at the right depth.

Cisco Grove pavement specifically

Lower ground means the pavement dries out earlier and the season opens sooner than it does up top. Cabin drives, small commercial, and campground access make up most of it, and an early start here is often the first work of the year.

Driveway sealcoats and crack work, mostly — call ahead and we’ll fold you into the next trip up.

Sealing cracks on this pavement is the cheapest work available and the work that buys the most time. It is also the easiest thing to keep putting off.

Cisco Grove sits at roughly 5,577 feet, and the pavement around it behaves accordingly. More on the area on our Cisco Grove service area page. We work the same corridor across the Truckee area, and the pavement guides go deeper on the physics if you want it.

Questions