PARIS — Selectmen approved using a latex-based asphalt on a dead-end road, possibly saving the town as much as $12,000.

On Tuesday, selectmen OK’d Town Manager Amy Bernard’s recommendation to apply the alternative coating to the surface of Parsons Road. Unlike traditional asphalt, the latex material reseals itself after cracking, preventing water from infiltrating seams and damaging the foundation, she said.

According to the Roadway Improvement Plan, the town was scheduled to spend about $124,800 to shim, overlay and reconstruct shoulders on Parsons Road.

Last October, Bernard expressed concern that the town’s comprehensive road plan did not include examining less expensive options. The 11-year plan, passed by voters in 2012, was devised as a yearly guide for the time and scope of repairs and maintenance for most roads in town.

In December 2013, selectmen attended a workshop hosted by Maine Department of Transportation road consultant Phil Curtis to hear how the alternatives could be implemented by highway crews.

Two weeks ago, selectmen agreed to redo the town’s road plan for a more affordable, flexible plan that re-evaluates conditions annually.

The move enabled Bernard to look for ways where more cost-effective paving solutions could be used and broker a new contract that scales back the work Limerick-based pavement manufacturers FR Carroll Inc. will do.

The money saved will be set aside for another project in the road plan, Bernard said.

Over the next few years, a newly formed Road Committee will tour, assess and make recommendations if latex can be used as an option in lieu of traditional asphalt on other roads, such as Brett Hill.

“That’s the plan,” Bernard said.