The Parish Council is considering a proposal to buy an asphalt release agent that would eliminate the use of petroleum or citric base products that cause the breakdown of roads. The release agent, which comes in a liquid form and is made with natural ingredients, could keep roads in tact three to four times longer than normal, according to product maker Keymel Technologies.
A spokesman from Keymel Technologies in New Orleans presented the preliminary plan to council members at a committee meeting Wednesday night, and asked them to purchase the company’s liquid product to stabilize and reinforce parish infrastructure.
“Right now, the normal wear and tear of asphalt is about every 24 months,” Kenner Rogers, a spokesman for the company, said, “But if you combine our asphalt product with our soil stabilizer product, that roadwork lasts for three to four times longer according to the research that Keymel Technologies has done for at least 15 years.”
Rogers says his company’s biodegradable soil stabilizer and asphalt would also eliminate the wear and tear on equipment used to lay roadwork because it simply washes off, which means no build up of the product on the equipment.
“I’m currently working on getting a meeting with Gov. Jindal to use this product statewide,” he said. “Right now, I’m on the second level to communicate with them and there’s three phases you have to go through before you can speak to the governor.”
Councilman Shelley Tastet says that extending the life of parish roadways could be beneficial to the area.
“There’s a road in the back of Willowdale, and man that road’s been fixed at least 10 or 15 times in the past few years,” he said. “I’d definitely like to see something help improve situations like that.”
Rogers advised the council that his company’s reinforcement product cost $17 per gallon, but over the long haul the savings would far outweigh the cost.
“Our soil stabilizer will cut the cost by at least 50 percent, according to data collected in the use of limestone and gravel that is normally used to reinforce roadwork,” Rogers said. “The road will last 12 or 13 years longer compared to using traditional methods, according to data collected.”
Councilman-at-large Terry Authement saw an example of how this biodegradable road material is used on a recent council trip to a Kansas conference.
“If this product will be anything like the example we saw in Kansas, I think it’s a great idea and I want to know more about it,” he said.
Rogers says that the parish would add this liquid product to its design proposal when putting roadwork projects out for bid.
“It would be written into the specifications,” he said. “That means the person doing the work would be required by the parish to use this product.”
The council plans to see an example of the product before making a decision to purchase it.
Rogers says the product is currently being used in Canada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, Arizona, California and other states across the United States – but not in Louisiana.
“However, I just met with New Orleans City Council and they just agreed to use the products to reinforce roads that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina,” he said. “They want the product for the rebuilding of their entire infrastructure.”
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