Road resurfacing

Horsham Rural City Council will upgrade 40 roads using microsurfacing.

The council awarded a contract to Downer EDI to complete the ‘innovative maintenance technique’.

Microsurfacing uses specialised machinery to add a new layer of surface to seal and protect regional roads and is ‘a cost-effective treatment for roads that are worn but have not deteriorated enough to require full reconstruction’.

The treatment is laid over the top of the old surface and helps preserve the road as well as filling in shallow cracks and holes.

Council chief executive Sunil Bhalla said microsurfacing was an emerging maintenance technique for sealed roads.

“It is expected to deliver significant savings in our road renewal program by extending the lives of roads and delaying the need for a full reconstruction,” he said.

“By just using a bitumen product we save on having to source quarry products that would be used in traditional asphalt.

“Because it is applied at ambient temperature it has relatively low energy consumption, which means reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”

Mr Bhalla said another benefit was that it was quicker to complete than traditional methods. “So there’s less disruption to the public,” he said. “It leaves a nice smooth uniform surface which looks great and it also increases the grip of the road which improves safety.”