Work well underway on £2.5m resurfacing
A £2.5M programme designed to keep roads in tip-top condition for years to come has seen around 200,000 square metres of roads treated so far.
Roads across Leicestershire are being treated throughout the summer to help maintain the highway network and reduce deterioration.
Leicestershire County Council is carrying out the preventative maintenance, known as surface dressing, to more than a million square metres of roads.
Currently a quarter of the sites in the programme have been completed, with officers set to visit Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth and Melton as part of the next phase.
Areas of Charnwood will follow in August, including Burton on the Wolds, Sileby, Mountsorrel, Birstall, Thurcaston, Loughborough and Shepshed.
Coun Blake Pain, cabinet member for high- ways, said: “The surface dressing process extends the life of the road surface by up to 10 years.
“With more than 2,575 miles of roads to maintain across the county, it’s important that spending is targeted. By tackling the problems early, the need for reactive maintenance is reduced and more money is saved.
“Our roads are some of the best maintained in the country and the success we have is partly down to our proactive approach to road maintenance.”
Surface dressing provides the road with an additional protective layer, by sealing the surface with bitumen and stone chippings, which help to improve the road surface and increase safety.
It is up to 10 times more cost effective than conventional resurfacing, and therefore helps create and sustain a resilient highway network.
The work, which is completed annually, will be carried out in stages to reduce the impact on motorists.
Any areas that cannot be completed due to poor weather conditions will be added to next season’s programme or an alternative maintenance treatment will be considered.
Residents and businesses will be notified prior to work commencing.