What is Slurry Seal?
Slurry Seal is a protective sealant coat that extends the life of pavement. It is an asphalt emulsion blended with finely crushed stone to help tires keep traction. When applied to a street, it forms a thin, tough layer that protects the pavement underneath from moisture and oxidation. This means that in addition to providing a refreshed surface to travel on, Slurry Seal preserves the underlying structure, preventing the need for more expensive repairs in the future.
This short YouTube video from the City of Los Angeles explains how Slurry Seal treatment helps protect and preserve local streets.
Between being quick to install, cost-effective, and providing both immediate and long-term benefits—AND having a fun, quirky name—you can see why we, and our Seattle communities, love Slurry Seal. Don’t worry, no real seals were involved in the installation work!
2022 Slurry Seal program construction
This year we completed Slurry Seal work in several neighborhoods: Greenwood, Fremont, Rainier Beach, Rainier View, and Dunlap. We focused on resurfacing non-arterial streets, targeting our Neighborhood Greenway network and streets without sidewalks to maximize the maintenance benefits for people walking and biking, as well as for vehicles. Check out some photos below!
All in all, we were able to resurface more than 100 blocks of city streets in these neighborhoods this year! This work will support safer and more reliable travel on these routes for years to come.
Thank you to all the community members and businesses in these neighborhoods for working with us on this large, complex effort. Your engagement and willingness to collaborate helped us minimize impacts to parking, building access, and business operations while the resurfacing work took place. We appreciate your patience and support!