Some years ago, there was a large yellow willapus-wallapus that used to slowly move along on the street with repair and construction crews. Often saw it on the drive. It had a flame that came out from underneath. I always figured that what it was doing was heating to softness the lumps and crags of the asphalt that had been dislodged by weather and traffic, in order to get it to settle back into some semblance of levelitude. And every time I drive the city streets and rumble over lumps and bumps of street material, I wonder why they don’t bring that gizmo back. What was it and why don’t they use it anymore?
You know, that’s a good question. I’ll see if I can get the Master to look into it.
I’m no master, but it would seem that the upwardly creeping number of stupid people out there would render a fire breathing machine fantastically dangerous in a matter of minutes. It wouldn’t be long before two workers and a lady walking her dog were incinerated into dust. 
Also fuel costs have to be a bitch.
The…the…the Master? Humbled, I am. I vow to stay tuned to the thread.
Well, this would be for a column, where there’s a long lead time. And no guarantee Cecil will do something.
See if he’s also interested in a Senate seat. I got connections with Blago.
It was called a heat scarifier, and was used by CDOT for several years in the late 90s to smooth asphalt on local streets in lieu of rebuilding or repaving them.
I don’t know why they quit using the method, but Ben Joravsky or someone did a Reader Neighborhood News piece about neighbors complaining that the heat had killed leaves on overhanging street trees. Presumably that was a temporary side effect.
Great! I presume that’s the gizmo I remember. However, it was definitely in use well prior to the '90s. In fact, I’m surprised to see that it was still in use at that time. I also found a paper - thanks to the name provided - that suggested that it was part of a road preparation technique, prior to re-paving. But I am sure I believe that it was used on its own, too. I await the Great Master’s attention to the matter.