Warwickshire County Council’s County Highways team has started a new programme of work applying surface dressing to a selection of roads across the county.
The work will significantly improve road surfaces in rural and urban areas and prolong the life of each road by around ten years.
The latest surface dressing programme will include the following locations between June and July 2022:
North Warwickshire Borough
- Atherstone – Sheepy Road (opposite St. George’s Road)
- Curdworth – Marsh Lane
- Polesworth – High Street
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough
- Nuneaton – Hillside Drive, Cleveley Drive, Berrington Road, Arlon Avenue, Wentworth Drive
Rugby Borough
The planned surface dressing works across Rugby Borough for 2022 have already been completed.
Stratford District
- Bascote Heath - Bascote Road
- Bidford-on-Avon - Saxonfields
- Dorsington – Dorsington Road
- Kite Green - Edge Lane
- Long Itchington - Church Rd
- Oxhill - Oxhill Bridle way
- Quinton – Main Street
- Shipston - Berry Avenue, Pittway Avenue, Warwick Place
- Stratford - Slingates Road, Talbot Road
- Wellesbourne - Hunscote Lane
Warwick District
- Bishops Tachbrook - Oakley Wood Road
- Bubbenhall - Bubbenhall Road
- Cubbington – Ladycroft, Price Road
- Hatton Green - The Green
- Leamington Spa - Milverton Hill / Portland Place West, Park Drive, Wheathill Close
- Lillington - Charnwood Way, Elan Close, Exmoor Drive, Severn Close, Sherwood Walk, Vicarage Road, Wye Close
- Kenilworth - Allitt Grove, Castle Hill, Convent Close, Courthouse Croft, Leamington Road, Thickthorn Island, Turton Way
- Offchurch - Radford Lane / Village Street
- Radford Semele - Offchurch Lane, Southam Road
- Warwick - Corbinson Close, Langcliffe Avenue, Leyburn Close, Malham Road, Montague Road, Nelson Lane, Thornton Close, Wedgnock Lane Hind Close, Yardley Close
Further information about the surface dressing taking place at these locations is available to download in the surface dressing programme 2022.
Surface dressing is usually carried out between May and August each year during the warmer and drier weather. It provides multiple benefits including improving the skid resistance of a road, sealing and waterproofing a road surface, and extending the life of a road so that major intrusive works are not required. It is also a very cost-effective process that enables County Highways to treat more roads across Warwickshire by making allocated budgets stretch further.
The process of applying surface dressing involves spraying bitumen emulsion (a sticky tar-like substance) onto a prepared road surface. Stone chippings are spread over the surface and rolled to allow the stones to embed into the bitumen. Some loose stones will remain on the road surface, but the weight of slow-moving vehicles driving along the road help to embed them to finish the new road surface.
Loose stone chippings immediately after application make the integrity of a new surface dressing vulnerable to fast-moving or turning traffic. Driving faster can cause a failure for the chippings to embed properly and increase the risk of vehicle damage, which is why County Highways asks all drivers to keep to a speed below 20mph in these areas and to abide by any onsite speed restrictions.
Cllr Wallace Redford, Portfolio Holder for Transport & Planning, said:
“Surface dressing is an important part of maintaining Warwickshire’s roads, and it allows us to increase the longevity of the county’s current road network without introducing any larger works that would inconvenience residents and businesses.
“Water from the weather is the main culprit for wearing down road surfaces as the freezing and thawing cycle during winter gradually leads to more water getting into the road pavement layers and eventually the formation of potholes. Surface dressing seals the road and waterproofs it which helps to prevent any deterioration, and is why it is vital for people to respect the speed limits at surface dressing locations, so that our county’s roads can continue to be a vital open transport network that supports our local communities and economy.”
To find out more about surface dressing, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/surfacedressing
For further roads and transport information, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roads-transport