Photo: courtesy Eric Johnson
Officials with the Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Corporation say techniques for fixing roads are, in turn, hurting school buses.
Road patching techniques are being blamed for damaged buses in Trafalgar. Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson School Corporation Director of Transportation Jim Singleton says a total of 11 buses have been damaged because of a process known as chip-seal.
“[We've had] rock chips flying up and hitting the buses and we’ve actually had some headlights damaged too,” Singleton said.
Chip-sealing involves coating a roadway with pavement and loose stone. Indiana Department of Transportation Customer Service Manager Glenda Seal says INDOT uses the process because it is less expensive.
“While resurfacing lasts longer, our per year cost for chip and seal is approximately 25 percent that of contracted resurface work,” she said.
The Trafalgar Transportation System plans to file a claim in hopes the state will offer reimbursement to help fix the damaged buses.
