Orange signs posted along roadways alert motorists to "fresh oil and chips."

Everyone has seen them along rural roads around the area during the past few months.For many, seeing this sign is a nightmare, and a Carbon County commissioner is reminding residents that this road maintenance is overseen by the state and not the county."We as commissioners have fielded numerous calls over the tar and chipping," Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said Thursday. "I can tell you right now, I'm not a big fan of it, but it is going to continue to go on."He said that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation uses the tar and chip method because, according to Tom Rogal, PennDOT county manager for district 5, it "is the most effective tool to extending a rural bituminous pavement … by sealing the cracks and taking out minor deficiencies prior to new paving."Gerhard said he understands trying to use this lower cost alternative to repaving the road, which costs on average $15,488 for a 24-foot-wide by 1-mile-long section of road, to the $107,712 to repave the same sized section, but doesn't understand why more prep work, such as patching potholes, doesn't take place before the process is done.There are a few drawbacks to tar and chipping, he said as well, including loose stone on the roadways that can cause driving hazards for motorists, excessive dust and possible damage to vehicle windshields.How it worksAccording to PennDOT's Maintenance First series, PennDOT oversees 40,000 roadway miles.Because of this, oil and chipping is the organization's first defense in preserving the integrity of a road that is considered "low traffic volume" for an additional three to five years.Oil and chipping is done between April and October, when temperatures are above 60 degrees.Oil and chip crews are made up 18 people who sweep, spray oil, spread stone and roll the new road cover.The whole process takes about two days for the stone to fully bond into the hardened asphalt, PennDOT states, adding that the newly oil and chipped road seals the road surface to keep water out and restore friction to enhance traction.For more information on road maintenance operations completed by PennDOT, the Maintenance First series is available at

http://bit.ly/2bFEudR.