Thick tar is applied to the road. Often they don't even fill potholes. Then a layer of small stone chips are dropped on the tar. It begins to harden in about 2 hours. Sometimes they vacuum up stone that doesn't adhere. It leaves a rough surface. No steam rollers.

The down sides are the stones themselves. In CA where I lived they would do this. Once the stones went down a multi-tire roller machine went over the surface at least once to start the setting process. Then drivers drove on it for at least a week before any loose stones were swept back up.

I hit a fairly fresh section of road on my bike once and had to stop a couple of times to get the stones and tar out of my brakes so my wheel would turn. Plus it is quite dangerous for cyclists because loose stones tend to be swept by cars to the sides of the roads where cyclists tend to ride.

I've never seen a multi-tire roller, but they have two big machines. All the townships do it, and some DOT roads too, so the price must be right.

Searching for stone-chipped roads brought it right up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipseal

Seems to be popular for lower traffic roads and the rough surface is helpful in areas with frequently slipery roads.

There is a wiki link.

Used to extend road life before having to do a total repave. Quite common here