Portions of six Pierce County roads in the Gig Harbor, Frederickson, Sumner, Graham and Kapowsin areas are getting more than $750,000 worth of new high-friction finishes in an attempt to make them safer.

The installation of what county officials call a “high friction surface treatment” began Aug. 5 and was scheduled to continue into September at the following locations: 122nd Street East/Military Road East (two curves near the bottom of a hill), McCutcheon Road East (a curve south of 108th Street East), Orting-Kapowsin Highway East (a curve north of 210th Street East), East Bay Drive Northwest (21st Street Northwest to Wollochet Drive Northwest), Military Road East (near 38th Avenue East), and Orville Road East (a curve west of 168th Avenue Court East).

The six locations were selected based on factors such as curves in the roadways, travel speeds, and the rate of documented crashes.

The treatment’s combination of highly-durable aggregate materials and high-strength epoxy resin increases the skid resistance of the roadway surface and helps motorists maintain control of their vehicles when negotiating curves in wet and dry conditions, officials said. The increased friction reportedly has been shown nationally to increase safety and reduce accidents where there’s a history of cars running off roadways and crashing.

A federal grant of $763,000 is paying for the Pierce County work. MJ Hughes Construction was hired by the county to be the contractor.