Street Maintenance

Bituminous pavement (also known as blacktop or asphalt) is considered a flexible pavement – meaning that movement underneath the road, as well as loads from vehicle traffic driving on the roadway, actually cause it to flex and move. Over time and prolonged exposure to the elements (sunlight, UV rays, rain, freeze/thaw), the pavement can become brittle. Seal coating (also referred to as chip sealing) is a process that applies a thin layer of asphalt emulsion and rock chips to the surface of the roadway to reseal it, with the goal of keeping the pavement flexible. The seal coat protects the pavement from the effects of the elements, fills in cracks and other defects, and increases skid resistance. Chip seals extend the life of bituminous pavement by 5 to 7 years.

Project Updates

Check back here for 2026-related project updates.

How It's Done

The process can be broken up into these main parts:

1. Pre-cleaning: For the asphalt emulsion and chips to adhere properly, the road surface needs to be fairly clean. City crews will sweep and flush the roadway with water multiple times to make it as clean as possible.
2. Seal Coat Application: a contractor will come in and spray the asphalt emulsion, spread chips and roll them into the roadway surface.
3. Post-sweeping: once the emulsion has cured, excess rock chips will remain on the roadway. City crews will sweep up the excess chips, leaving a clean, coated road surface.
4. Fog Sealing: On main roads and in cul-de-sac bulbs, an additional coating of oil is applied for durability. This is completed after all excess chips are removed.
5. Pavement Markings: Once the seal coat work is complete and cleaned up, City crews will re-paint pavement markings on main roads (centerlines, crosswalks, turn arrows, etc.).

A lot of this work is completed simultaneously. 

Information for Impacted Residents

As a resident, it is important to abide by the posted parking restrictions. The project moves quickly and covers a large area of the City. This means it can be hard to predict exactly when the above steps will be completed on each street. The "No Parking" signs are generally installed before the first step and remain in place until the project is complete. While it may seem like there are periods of no activity, crews will return multiple times to complete each step of the project.

Generally, property owners will have access to their homes during this process. However, on the day of application there might be slight delays or parking on a side street might be required. 

This maintenance work is funded through the tax levy and Minnesota State Aid. Property owners are not accessed for the chip seal work.

The City performs maintenance to the concrete curb and gutter, primarily in the year prior to a mill and overlay. Repairs usually consist of removing defective sections of the concrete curb and pouring new curb back. Defects that warrant replacement typically include settled areas holding a moderate amount of water (usually in excess of 2”), a cracked curb that has caused a spall, a curb that has heaved at a joint, and a curb that is rotten along the front face touching the blacktop. This work is necessary to keep the streets in good condition.

Not all curb is replaced during these projects, nor will curb be added in places it doesn't exist already. Approximate sections of impacted curb are marked with white paint.

Project Updates

Check back here for 2026-related project updates.

Who Performs the Work?

Curb maintenance is performed by either the City crew or contractors. Work occurs between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Cost

This maintenance work is being done at no direct cost to the property owner.

Replacement Due to Sewer and Trench Settlement

Please note that one possible reason for the curb and gutter replacement is the settlement of the private sewer and water trenches. The City will reinstall the curb at the original elevation (in a straight line) to ensure that water can flow freely down the street.  In many cases, the driveway approach behind the curb may also have settled, resulting in the newly replaced curb being higher than the driveway approach and creating a bump. Upon the property owner’s request, the City will install a temporary asphalt wedge; the driveway approach is the property owner's responsibility to maintain. The City will not provide maintenance to this temporary wedge if it degrades in the future. Two options residents typically use to permanently address this condition are mud/foam jacking or replacing the approach panel(s). If the City were to include the private concrete approach work as a part of this maintenance project, assessments would be required.

Information for Impacted Residents

In advance of this work, underground utility lines in the boulevard will be marked and "No Parking" signs will be posted. Follow the posted signs or risk being towed. 

Please mark any sprinklers or pet fencing in the boulevard. These items are generally not allowed in the boulevard; if damage occurs it is the property owner's responsibility to repair. 

Any disturbed boulevard areas will be restored with dirt/grass seed. If able, property owners are encouraged to help establish the new grass.

Every year, the Public Works Department performs a partial-depth mill-and-bituminous overlay as part of the pavement preservation program. This process consists of milling approximately 2 inches of the existing pavement along the street edge and the curb. Following the edge milling, a 2-inch lift of bituminous pavement was laid across the full width of the street. This street preservation process is conducted annually by City crews, with assistance from a paving contractor.

Project Updates

Check back here for 2026-related project updates.

Information for Residents of Impacted Areas

• Affected streets will be posted with NO PARKING signs. All vehicles parked in violation of the posted signs will be ticketed and towed. The posted signs will indicate if you can park in the street on weekends and overnight from 7 pm to 7 am. Even if the street looks complete, follow the posted signs, as crews may need to return for additional tasks.
• Residents should expect delays if leaving or returning throughout the workday. Speak with a flagger/worker if you need help navigating through the construction area. 
• Residents who are expecting large vehicles (e.g., moving trucks) to need access to their property during this maintenance work are encouraged to call 507-328-2450 to coordinate timing.
• After milling and before overlaying, there will be bumps at each end of the milled areas, along with exposed/raised manholes. Drive cautiously and slowly through these areas and expect uneven pavement, bumps and rough surfaces.
• These streets will be chip-sealed in 3 years as part of the pavement preservation program which is funded through taxy levy and Minnesota State Aid funds. 

Visit the Snow & Ice Control page for more information.

The City of Rochester operates a fleet of six street sweepers that are responsible for cleaning the 500+ mile network of city streets. The fleet sweeps approximately 9,500 miles every year. Sweepers clean the Central Business District nightly and are out in the spring and fall. In the spring, sweepers are out collecting sand and other sediments that accumulated over the winter. In the fall, sweepers collect sediments and leaves. During the fall, it is most efficient for the fleet to sweep leaves once they are all off the trees, so they don’t have to visit each area of town multiple times.

How it Works

Street sweeping is completed each spring and fall on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. Requests for service may be submitted and will be added to our list; however, sweeping is generally performed once crews are working in the area. Outside of spring and fall, additional requests are prioritized and completed as time and resources allow.

How You Can Help

What residents can do to help "Keep It Clean":

1. Keep leaves out of the street, storm drains, and public lands.
2. Mulch leaves in your yard or make a backyard compost site for them.
3. Take leaves to the Olmsted County compost site, free of charge, at 305 Silver Creek Road NE, just across from the recycling center. (The site is open 7 days a week during daylight hours.)
4. Place your waste and recycling bins on the boulevard rather than in the street. This will help facilitate street cleaning by City street sweepers.
5. Remove debris from the storm drain if rain is on its way and the sweepers haven’t yet passed. This will help prevent the drain from being clogged.

The City’s street sweeping program is not designed to pick up leaves raked into the street from private property. In addition to degrading water quality and being a nuisance, leaves can be a traffic hazard and they can cause flooding if they obstruct drainage ways or plug culverts, storm drains, or inlets and outlets to storm ponds. Rochester Code of Ordinances 6-4 requires property owners to keep all yard waste, including leaves and grass clippings, out of the street. Residents can take their leaves and yard waste, free of charge, to the Olmsted County compost site located at 305 Silver Creek Road NE, just across from the recycling center.