TYLER (KYTX) - Many people will have to repair their cars and overhaul their tires after driving into rocks and tar in a construction area.
CBS 19's Jennifer Heathcock explains what caused the mess on the West Loop near 155.
Tar and rocks covering the tires, dripping off the rims on this car.
These snapshots from Tyler Paper show the mess getting onto the bodies of some cars, even this Tyler Police car was damaged by the mess.
That sticky situation was the chatter at Sweet Sue's Restaurant on the Loop.
"Been complaining a little bit, stuff on their tires and everything. Had to sweep the entrance a few times," says Spencer Berdard, the manager at Sweet Sue's.
Berdard says cars had to cross the mess in the north bound lane to get to his restaurant Friday morning.
"I saw the traffic and I went around the other way, just knowing it wasn't going to be anything good," says Berdard.
Heavy rains washed out rocks and newly poured seal-coat on two lanes of Loop 323 heading north just past Highway 155.
"Everyone started with clear weather radar and a low percentage of rain and right about 2-3 in the morning it started raining very hard on this project and didn't allow the seal-coat really to cure," says Larry Krantz with the Texas Department of Transportation.
To give you a better understanding of what seal-coat is, when crews resurface a roadway they start with a base layer like rocks, then the seal-coat is poured on. It's really sticky, like a glue that holds it together to make the final driving surface.
"Try a couple of different things to try and see if can't get oil to calm down a little bit. Get some rock reapplied," says Krantz.
Contractors with Big Creek worked through the afternoon, hoping no one else would be stuck like this after the repairs.
TxDOT is asking anyone with damage to their cars to call Big Creek Construction.
