Oxfordshire roads to be resurfaced over the Summer

A summer of road surfacing in Oxfordshire has begun.

More than half a million square metres - more than 83 km - of road across Oxfordshire will be given a new lease of life thanks to the 'surface-dressing' technique which waterproofs and extends the life of roads.

The cost of the work is in the region of £3.5m which is seen as a good investment, potentially preventing the need for more costly resurfacing for a number of years.

Extra money means better roads

County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “Oxfordshire County Council takes road repairs and maintenance very seriously and has put around £25m extra into fixing highways in total this and last year as part of a £120 million investment in infrastructure.

“Surface dressing is an excellent way to extend the life of roads and is cost effective. It is just one of a range of techniques that we use to improve and preserve the condition of our highways across Oxfordshire.”

Safer and longer-lasting roads

Many people will know surface dressed roads for their appearance soon after the work is done. However after a short period of bedding in, when sweeping any loose chippings and any necessary relining is done, the surfaces are indistinguishable from any other except for the absence of cracks and potholes. Skid resistance is also improved.

The county council has gained a reputation in recent years for innovation and, as part of the surface dressing programme this year, will be trying out something called ‘Surface Seal’ - an additional treatment added to a newly dressed road.

This application is designed to improve the retention of the chippings. The hope is that it should provide additional waterproofing and increased durability to prevent defects, cracks, and potholes, particularly at areas such as tight bends or junction. The surface seal also enhances the appearance of the new surface giving a deep and uniform black which is comparative to a new asphalt surface.

Getting the most out of our money

County Councillor Constance explained: “As well as putting many extra millions of pounds into road repairs we are also looking at getting the most out of every pound we spend.

“That is why we have been trialling things like road recycling, techniques like Dragon patching and now Surface Seal which has the potential to give even better and longer lasting results.”

Surface seal will be used on three sites covering approx. 10,000m2. Its performance will be monitored by engineers and, if it works as hoped, there could be more used next year.

List of sites

The list of sites our team will be working on is below. Road users will be alerted to planned work by on-site signs and work could be delayed or rescheduled due to adverse weather conditions.