The county council’s annual surface dressing programme will start in June 2023 to improve the surface of roads across the county.
In total, 34.5 miles of carriageway at 60 sites across the county will be surface dressed by the end of June at a cost of £2.6 million.
Surface dressing is a cost effective, preventative repair process which helps to prolong the life of the county’s roads and makes the council’s budget go further.
Yellow signs on each of the roads to be improved will be put up around 2 weeks before each job is to be carried out. Some roads will need to be closed and diversions will be in place. On some sites the road will be closed 1 side at a time under ‘stop and go’ boards for around 1-2 hours while the works are completed.
This investment in Derbyshire’s roads is part of the county council’s three-year, £120 million highways capital programme, and many other roads and pavements will be resurfaced. A full list of these roads will be published soon online at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/surfacedressing
Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, our Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, said: “Following the wintry weather, we’ve been busy repairing the damage caused by freezing conditions, fixing more than 42,000 potholes since January, across our network of around 3,500 miles of roads and pavements.
“Our surface dressing programme is an essential part of our annual planned maintenance programme, helping to prevent potholes and extend the lifespan of local roads.
“The warmer months are when we carry out our surface dressing programme as we need better weather conditions in the day-time to dry the road and for vehicles to compact the new surface.
“As 1 mile of road can be treated in just a few hours, we can work quickly and effectively, reducing the need to close roads for any longer than is necessary, minimising delays for local residents and businesses.
“I’d like to thank residents and visitors to the county in advance for their patience and understanding while these improvement works take place.”
To make work more efficient the jobs have been grouped together so that all those in an area are carried out at around the same time.
Surface dressing is a technique that extends the life of a road surface between 10 and 15 years. First any potholes are mended, then a layer of bitumen is laid which acts as the glue for the chippings that are rolled on top.
Driving over the chippings helps to further bed them in and any loose chippings are then swept away one week later. Road markings (including cats’ eyes) will be repainted within 14 days.
Roads can only be surface dressed when the weather is warmer and the materials can bind together more effectively and the chippings are less likely to be washed away by rain.
You can report potholes and other road defects online. A reference number will be generated so progress of the fix can be tracked.
To check roadworks in your local area, visit One.Network and sign up to create a personalised email alert tailored to your neighbourhood or for the route you drive to work.