Editor’s Note:
As of 2015, MSU has gone back to using coal tar sealers!! This article reflects the optimism of that initial announcement to use a non-coal tar sealer.
Good news from Springfield, Missouri in an online newsletter by the President of Missouri State University, Dr. Clif Smart: they are seriously looking to move away from coal tar sealers! This puts MSU in a rare group of universities that have made the connection between the research that has been done and their current practices.
Let’s hope this effort continues with a quality contractor and a quality product. May I make a suggestion: be sure to pick a contractor and supplier with a vested interest in the success of the project–not its failure. One recommendation is to require bidders to have a minimum of 3 years and 500,000 square feet of successful and referenced, non-coal tar sealer applied.
“Parking lot project
Every summer we repair, reseal and re-stripe parking lots. Like most others in Springfield, we have always used a coal tar-based asphalt sealer in the resealing process as no other comparable products were available. This has caused concerns within our campus community and our city because of the potential negative environmental effects of coal tar.
This summer, we will spend approximately $180,000 to repair/seal/re-stripe more than a dozen parking lots around campus. To accomplish this, we will be trying a different product — an asphalt emulsion sealer — rather than the coal tar based asphalt sealer we have used in the past.
We have been and will continue to evaluate the performance of asphalt emulsion based sealers to see if they are a viable substitute for the coal tar sealants. If this new sealant performs well, it will replace the coal tar sealants going forward. I will keep you apprised of our results on this and other projects as we continue to advance our sustainability agenda.”