£7 million road resurfacing programme to begin next month

Nearly 100 roads across Oxfordshire will be improved as part of a £7 million highway maintenance programme beginning this spring.

Oxfordshire County Council and its contractor Milestone Infrastructure Ltd will be visiting more than 50 locations between 8 April and 3 June to carry out surface dressing work. The programme is part-funded by the government, with £2.629 million coming from the Department for Transport’s road resurfacing fund.

Around one million square metres of carriageway will be treated, making it the biggest surface dressing programme undertaken in Oxfordshire for at least 20 years.

Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Corporate Director for Environment and Place, said: “We know how important the quality of our roads is to our residents and this significant programme of work will help keep many miles of highways in a better condition for years to come.

“Surface dressing is one of the most cost-effective methods of roads maintenance and spring is the best time to start this programme of work. We would urge motorists to watch out for notifications of the work taking place and to drive carefully after it has been carried out.”

Driving too fast on a recently treated road can result in broken windscreens or chipped paintwork, as the friction from the tyres can dislodge loose chips. There is also an increased risk of skidding while the new chippings ‘bed in’.

For these reasons, an advisory speed limit of 20mph will be put in place. It is important to adhere to these low speeds until all warning signs have been removed.

Richard Lovewell, Business Director for Milestone’s Oxfordshire contract, said: “We’re proud to be embarking on Oxfordshire’s biggest programme of this kind in 20 years. Surface dressing is one of the best and most cost-efficient and sustainable way to extend the life of our county’s roads.

“Thanks to close collaboration with Oxfordshire County Council and our supply chain, we’ve planned the work in a way that minimises disruption and maximises efficiencies. We’ve also positioned Oxfordshire right at the start of the national surface dressing season.”

Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, said: “Motorists in Oxfordshire deserve safe, modern and smooth roads they can rely on. I’m delighted to see Oxfordshire County Council making good use of the £2.6m government funding we have provided to tackle potholes and keep motorists moving across the county.

“We’re taking decisive action to resurface roads and fix potholes by investing an extra £8.3 billion in the biggest ever funding increase for local road improvements, which is enough to resurface over 5,000 miles of roads across the country, and made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.”

Surface dressing involves applying bituminous emulsion on to the road as a binder. This is followed immediately by the application of chippings to dress the emulsion layer.

The method offers many advantages, including:

• Sealing the road surface to keep out water, one of the major causes of deterioration and potholes.
• Reducing the deterioration of the road surface.
• Restoring the necessary level of skid resistance to reduce skid-related traffic collisions.
• Enabling worn out road surfaces to last longer, increasing the time before structural maintenance is required.
• Maximising the cost effectiveness of limited highway maintenance budgets. 
• Minimising traffic disruption and congestion as large areas of roads – up to 100,000 square metres – can be treated in a single day.

The work is highly weather dependent and cannot be completed in wet conditions. Therefore, the earlier in the year it can be started, the more likely it can be completed with minimal disruptions.

Updated details about the programme, including a map showing where and when the work will be taking place, can be found on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

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