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Road surface dressing season

Published

Surface dressing is a proactive approach to road maintenance, extending the life of roads while minimising disruption and maximising value. The treatment uses bitumen and chippings to seal the surface of the road against water and air, which cause damage to the road over time. It improves skid resistance and road safety because the chippings which are added to the bitumen binder give increased grip.

 

Due to the nature of the process, it can only be carried out in dry weather and with the correct road temperatures, therefore works are typically undertaken during spring and summer months. This month we will begin our programme treating more than twenty roads across the county.

 

View the list of roads scheduled for surface dressing:  

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/surface-dressing 

 

Please note, surface dressing is highly weather dependent and therefore dates may change at short notice. 

  • To ensure the safety of road users and our workforce, the roads will be closed while the works take place. Generally, the works will be carried out between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week. 

  • An excess of loose chippings will be present on the road for a period after completion, which is normal for this process and will be removed by a suction sweeper when necessary. 

  • Only when the surface is embedded fully and all sweeping has been undertaken, temporary traffic signs will be removed. Road markings will be replaced at a later date. 

  • Temporary signs will be erected to warn that existing road markings have been removed.

  • On completion of all works, the site will be inspected. A follow up inspection will be undertaken later in the year (especially after cold winter) to ensure that the surface is fully bedded in. 

Further information is provided in resident letters and a leaflet available on the surface dressing web page: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/surface-dressing