Surface dressing season nears completion

Almost 160 miles of highway have been resurfaced in Worcestershire by the County Council this year.

That's the equivalent of driving from Worcester to York.

Nearly 200 sites across the county will be treated, during this year's programme.

This is despite challenges this year, brought about by the Covid pandemic and adverse weather conditions.

The Surface Dressing Programme started in Ashton under Hill and Broadway in April and moved around the towns and villages of Worcestershire during May and June.  The surface dressing work concludes in Redditch this month.

Councillor Alan Amos, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport, said: ''Our teams have worked incredibly hard this year to complete the programme of surface dressing works. Surface dressing is vital preventative work and without it we'd be carrying out far more disruptive and costly reactive work on a more regular basis. This year's programme means nearly 160 miles of road will have been resealed before winter to extend the life of an existing surface, prevent deterioration, improve skid resistance, protecting the road against water preventing potholes forming in winter.''

Surface dressing is a nationally recognised maintenance technique for sealing a road, improving skid resistance and preventing water getting under the surface.

This is crucial to help prevent potholes forming and prolong the life of the road. It works by coating an existing road with bitumen, covering it with stone chippings and then rolling it.

The Surface Dressing process is highly weather dependent and can often be delayed due to rain or soaring temperatures.

Residents and businesses are usually given a generous operational 'window' during which the works will take place to enable the delivery of works to be flexible.