system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What is the benefit in "tar and chipping" a road?

Might not be the same everywhere, but here in Pennsylvania, sometimes instead of paving a road, they will tar and chip a road. For anyone who doesn't know, this is when they pour hot asphalt and then cover it with loose stone and then it is rolled over and packed tight to form a finished surface.

Is there any actual benefit of doing this? Just seems to me like a cheap alternative to actually paving a road.
gpt
You've nailed the big one, it's simply cheaper. 

Asphalt can be really expensive when you need tons and tons of it, and if you can reduce the amount you need to lay down because your road is not handling a lot of heavy traffic, "chipsealing" is an economical way to do it.

Plus this alternative might help create some local jobs at the nearby quarry... which the local mayor just happens to own.