Utah's Fastest-Growing County Saves Huge Dollars With HA5 High Density Mineral Bond

Tooele County is located in northwestern Utah and has emerged as one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. In the last decade, its population has surged as people are drawn to its scenic landscape, affordable housing, and proximity to the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The county is also home to diverse communities, with both a thriving suburban population and a significant rural presence. This blend of urban and rural living offers residents a unique balance of modern amenities and small-town charm.

The county maintains an extensive road network spanning approximately 1,200 miles and navigating suburban neighborhoods and rural, rugged terrain. However, the road conditions are uniquely challenging, with extreme weather variations ranging from scorching summer heat to freezing winters. Tooele also has the the challenge of size. The County has a large geographic footprint, resulting in miles and miles of rural roads with low traffic volume that also need proper maintenance. Tooele County has prioritized innovative road maintenance strategies to manage these conditions, ensuring safe and reliable transportation for its growing population.

Rod Thompson, former Road Department Director for Tooele County, describes how the county conducts an inventory of its roads every year. “We do an actual inventory, I call it,” he said. “We go out and do a condition assessment and determine what condition the roads are in.” He went on to describe how the county creates a five-year plan based on those results, which includes chip seals, overlays, and surface course.

“Tooele County is not that quiet anymore, and it’s growing,” Rod continued. “We have urban clusters in Tooele County where the people live in normal subdivision lots and have curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. We’ve found that we can’t necessarily service them by going in and doing the chip seal we’ve done in rural areas, so we have to look at other alternatives.”

After extensive testing and comparison with other competitor products, Tooele County selected HA5 High Density Mineral Bond for its asphalt preservation. The county’s road maintenance team wanted to find a solution that extended its roads’ lifespan and offered better performance and value. 

“We tested material side by side and looked at it for years before we committed to doing anything,” Rod said. For Rod and other local infrastructure leaders, HA5 stood out as a clear winner as it consistently proved superior in durability and long-term appearance.

One key factor in HA5’s selection was its ability to maintain a rich, black finish over time, while competing products showed signs of wear and fading much sooner. “[HA5] was superior because it stays black,” Rod said. “People like that. If you don’t know anything about [HA5], they would swear somebody repaved their road. I’ve had more than one person call and say ‘Thank you for repaving their road’ when what we did was High Density Mineral Bond.”

HA5 also demonstrated remarkable resistance to the elements in Tooele, with roads treated with the product enduring freeze-thaw cycles well. This resilience meant that roads treated with HA5 required far less frequent maintenance, making it the ideal choice for the county’s preventive maintenance plan.

Incorporating HA5 into a five-year maintenance schedule has allowed Toole County to extend the useful lifespan of its roads, thereby stretching their budget and allowing them to do more with less. By applying HA5 early in the life of a road, the county can delay the need for costly reconstruction or thick overlays, which gives them more time to build up their budget for these projects. Rod explained how the savings have been substantial — saving the county roughly nine to 10 times the initial investment, which translates to significant savings for local taxpayers. “In the long haul, you’re saving money, and your roads are in better condition,” he said.

Additionally, the performance of HA5 has been impressive, with minimal asphalt transfer and long-term durability. Even after 10 years, Tooele roads maintain an aesthetically pleasing surface that also provides tremendous benefit in terms of extending the useful life of the underlying pavement. “It looks good,” Rod said. “Residents like it because it increases the value of their home…they like the black and that they can go out and rollerskate, skateboard, or ride their bicycles and don’t have to deal with a bunch of rocks on their driveway.”

Put simply, the application of HA5 High Density Mineral Bond has proven to be a wise, cost-effective choice for Tooele County. Not only are roads lasting longer and saving the county money but it’s also led to better roads and happier residents, ensuring the county’s infrastructure stays reliable and sustainable over the years. “HA5 has saved us millions and kept our roads in top condition,” Rod said. “We don’t think we’ll ever use another product.”

See How HA5 High Density Mineral Bond Can Benefit Your Property.

Thousands of property owners nationwide are also enjoying the cost-savings and increased resident satisfaction Tooele experienced. To see how HA5 can benefit your property, schedule a free consultation with Holbrook Asphalt today. Or read additional case studies below.