It is that time of the year, Christmas in July for rock chip repair businesses.

With state and local road departments out seal coating roadways comes the inevitable cracked windshield. But for taxpayers, according to a story in the Coeur d'Alene Press, the seal coating is a good investment because it extends the life of roadways at a fraction of the cost of building a new road or highway.

In the case of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), most of the work is done by private contractors with the work inspected by ITD to assure it meets state standards.