We maintain the county's roads using extensive programmes of patching, resurfacing, reconstruction and surface dressing.
When carrying out repairs on:
- potholes or replacing a smooth/worn-out road edge we use patching and replace the top 4cm
- large areas we resurface the road and replace the top 4cm normally under a road closure
- a substantially failed road we reconstruct it replacing all layers normally under a full road closure
Surface dressing
Surface dressing is an effective way of maintaining roads. It uses chippings rolled into a layer of hot bitumen. The benefits are that it:
- improves skid resistance and makes the road safer
- waterproofs and protects the road against winter damage
- extends the life of the surface by up to 10 years
- costs one-fifth of the price of resurfacing
- prevents the need for more expensive work
- minimises disruption to road users, local businesses and emergency services
Surface dressing takes place from April to August.