Roads to be resurfaced in May to tackle potholes

The county council set to carry out surface dressing

ROADS around the county are to be treated with a protective layer in an effort to reduce the number of potholes forming and to make driving safer.

Leicestershire County Council’s highways team have a list of roads they intend to cover with an extra layer of bitumen to protect the surface underneath from water and air, which can lead to potholes in cold weather.

Potholes can be an expensive problem for councils and after the winter just gone, the county council had about two million potholes to fill in and received an extra £1.56 million from the Government to help with the work.

The “surface dressing” treatment will also include adding a layer of stone chippings to increase grip on the roads to prevent cars skidding.

In total, more than 700,000 square metres of road surface will be treated between now and the end of the summer.

The scheme, now underway, saw the team start the works in roads around North West Leicestershire and Charnwood.

With more than 2,575 miles of road to maintain, the county council said it was important to tackle problems early so the need for repairs was reduced and more money is saved.

Blake Pain, county council cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Our roads are some of the best maintained in the country and the success of this is partly down to our proactive approach to road maintenance.

“Surface dressing provides a simple but cost-effective form of maintenance and can be used successfully on all types of roads, from the country lane that carries an occasional vehicle to our busy main roads carrying thousands of vehicles a day.”

He said carrying out surface dressing was up to 10 times more cost effective than conventional resurfacing.

When will surface dressing take place on county roads?

May: Melton, Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, Hinckley and Bosworth, North West Leicestershire, Blaby

June: North West Leicestershire, Charnwood, Melton, Harborugh

All work is weather dependant

The work, which is carried out annually, will be done in stages to reduce the impact on motorists. It has to take place during the warmer months because higher temperatures help the stone chippings stick to the road.

The aim is to get the entire project completed by the end of August but cold weather will put the work on hold.

The council said that any areas that cannot be completed because of the weather will be added to next summer’s programme.

Residents and businesses are being notified to give them advance warning of roadworks happening in their areas.