Beltrami County to begin chip seal road work Monday

Loose rock and wet oil will slow traffic on various Beltrami County roads when chip seal crews begin Monday, July 27. Motorists should expect reduced traction, rock spray and pilot-car-controlled travel as crews move through work zones on county-maintained routes.

The work is chip sealing, a road-preservation method that starts with a liquid emulsion spread on the pavement, then small rock is applied and rolled into the oil with heavy rollers before a final liquid emulsion is added. The process is meant to prolong the life of the road and keep pavement serviceable before it needs more expensive rehabilitation.

Drivers are being told to avoid driving into wet oil and to wait for pilot cars. Because the county’s notice refers to various routes within the county rather than a single corridor, the impact can shift from one township road or county highway segment to another as crews advance.

Beltrami County’s 2026 Transportation Improvement Plan places the work on County State Aid Highways and county roads. Beltrami’s road system includes state and federal agencies, the county, cities, townships, tribal governments and private roads, but the transportation plan focuses on County State Aid Highways and county roads. For people moving between Bemidji, rural neighborhoods, lake country and outlying townships, those are the roads most likely to carry daily traffic to work, school, medical appointments and shopping.

Beltrami County used the same method and the same warnings about wet oil, loose rock and pilot cars on various routes in July 2025.