Roads closed for construction are a hassle for drivers, so crews in Sioux Falls are trying to prevent problems now to keep you from a longer wait later. They’re using a process called microsurfacing.  It’s happening around the city. Thursday, workers microsurfaced part of 17th Street near Cliff Avenue.

A machine spreads a quarter-inch-thick layer of a cement-like mixture on top of an existing road.

"This is just really the next generation of surfacing treatments for the City of Sioux Falls," Sioux Falls Director of Public Works Mark Cotter said.

Microsurfacing can extend the life of a street by six or seven years.  The key is to get to the road while it's still in good shape. Workers will microsurface 320 city blocks this summer. 

Cotter showed KELOLAND News a cored sample from 41st Street.  That road was micro-surfaced last year, and after a winter of wear and tear, it still has the quarter-inch topping.

"Microsurfacing is just a new tool in our toolbox to try to get the maximum life out of pavement," Cotter said.

It's faster and cheaper than other fixes. The road at 18th Street and Cleveland Avenue needs more extensive repairs, so the top two inches have been chipped away. Workers will put down a new layer of asphalt, which costs as much as $10,000 per block. Compare that to microsurfacing at just $2,300 per block.

It will only take about two hours to micro-surface the four-block stretch, but workers have noticed a problem with drivers showing some patience. They've been going around the barriers. You really don't want to do that; the mixture being put down has oil and if you drive on the wet surface, it will be all over your car.

"Have a little patience and we'll try to move in and move out as quickly as possible," Cotter said.

A short wait now means a smoother ride in the long run.