Dorset’s highway fixers have completed this years’ surface dressing programme – an investment of £3m into the rural, urban and major road network by Dorset County Council.
As part of Dorset Highways annual maintenance activities, this year, 235 surface dressing sites have been treated over 82 days – protecting 64 miles of rural and urban roads from water damage and restoring skid resistance.
Alongside this, Eurovia Surface Treatments was contracted to treat 17 miles of the A and B road network using higher grade surface dressing materials.
Councillor Daryl Turner, cabinet member for the natural and built environment, said: “For the first time in around 20 years we treated residential roads – visiting nine towns – and it has been a real success in reconditioning these minor roads.
“Although we have experienced a wonderful summer, which has helped us deliver this work on time and on budget, at times the excessive heat did present us with some challenging conditions.
“I’d like to thank residents for their patience and for moving their vehicles off the road to allow the work to happen.
“Based on the results this year, we will certainly look at using surface dressing on urban roads in the future, allowing us to treat a greater area of our network.”
The final white lines will be put back in place over the next few weeks and then the team will be disbanded and set to work on footway slurry sealing and drainage clearing and repairs.
Surface dressing prolongs the life of roads, by sealing it against water damage, and restores skid resistance.
