Surface dressing

During 2026/27, we will invest £4.6 million to surface dress 98 main roads. In total, we will treat 723,000 square metres of road surface – the equivalent to 101 football pitches.

We use money from our annual highways grant provided by the government and the East Midlands Combined County Authority to pay for the work

View the 2026/2027 annual highways capital programme approved by our Cabinet in November 2025.

About surface dressing

Surface dressing is a cost-effective treatment to protect and prolong the life of roads.

The treatment seals the road surface, keeping rainwater out, reducing frost damage which helps to prevent potholes from forming.

The new surface also improves vehicle braking, making the road safer.

Our contractor, Hazel & Jeffries, is carrying out the work on our behalf.

When we carry out surface dressing, we usually close the road for safety reasons and a signed diversion will be put in place.

We'll drop leaflets door-to-door in areas where we'll carry out the repairs, and erect warning signs in advance, to make sure people are aware of when the works will take place.

Weather conditions

The treatment is very weather dependent and can only be laid at specific temperatures and in dry weather conditions, which can be difficult to predict. We may have to postpone the works at short notice. If this happens, our temporary yellow information sign boards will be updated with a new date.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

The surface dressing process

Applying the new surface dressing is only one part of the process to repair the road.

The other steps include the following.

Pre-patching repairs

Before we apply surface dressing, we carry out repairs to the road surface. This is called pre-patching works (PPSD) for surface dressing.

Removing the road studs – or cat's eyes – from the road

We take out all the road studs and remove any 'slow' road markings and white lines. This makes sure that the chippings used for the surface dressing process can bind and stick to the road surface.

This work is scheduled to start on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. The work will be carried out at night-time, usually between 7pm and 5am to minimise inconvenience for local road users. Subject to weather conditions and any issues on site, this part of the overall surface dressing programme work will be completed in May 2026.

Sweeping the road

Within the first 24 hours of the surface dressing being laid, we sweep the road surface to remove any loose chippings and then repeat this process again within 7 days.

Sealing treatment

On busy main A and B roads, in rural areas, we use a sealing treatment.

Bitumen is sprayed over the road surface to provide an extra lock, to help bind the chippings to the road surface. The work has to be done in dry, warm weather for the bitumen to dry.

Roads have to be closed while this work takes place, as the vehicles we use are large and it would be unsafe for drivers to try to get past our team.

This work is scheduled to start on Monday, 6 July 2026 and will take approximately 2 weeks, subject to weather conditions and any issues on site.

Road markings and studs replacement

The final stage of the surface dressing process involves replacing the road studs and the white line markings on the road.

This work is scheduled to start on Monday, 13 April 2026 and will be completed in September this year, subject to weather conditions and any issues on site.

As the road studs and lines are in the middle of the road, we have to close the road for the safety of our team.

Surface dressing programme 2026/27

This is the full surface dressing programme for 2026/27.

The locations are shown in date order and include the location as well as details about the electoral division of the local county councillor.

Please note the weather has a significant bearing on this work. This will mean the schedule published here is likely to change. Please use this information as a guide only.

Residents affected by the works will receive updates on our temporary information boards.

We apologise for any delays or last-minute changes due to circumstances beyond our control.

Useful information about our surface dressing programme

Help us to help you

You can help us to complete the job as swiftly and safely as possible by following this advice:

• please make sure vehicles are not parked on the road during the day while the work is in progress
• keep children away from the works to ensure their safety
• be patient if there are any traffic delays – we'll be working as quickly and effectively as we can to minimise disruption
• drive slowly and observe the speed limit signs, particularly during the works and for the first few days after application of the surface dressing
• take care while the works are being carried out which can be dusty, and keep away from heavy machinery and hot bitumen
• check your shoes before entering your property or car to make sure there is no bitumen from the works sticking to the soles

Choosing which roads to surface dress

Some roads that are in relatively good condition will be treated with preventative maintenance treatments to help seal the surface before any rainwater and damp can cause damage.

Other roads, requiring much more extensive treatment, will be included in other more suitable repair programmes like carriageway resurfacing.

Duration of the work

Surface dressing is usually completed at each site within the day. Periodic sweeping continues for approximately 1 month, followed by the replacement of any lines and road studs.

Accessing your property or business

Due to the nature of the work involved, there will be short periods when access cannot be maintained. Where there is particular access requirements please speak to the team on site who will usually be able to accommodate people's needs.

As with any of our closures, access to properties and businesses within the closure will be maintained.

If you need to enter the closure, please speak to an operative at the closure point who'll be able to advise you further. It may be that there is a short wait while the site is made safe. You may be asked to follow the diversion route to enter the closure at the other end as that is a safer place to enter.

Timing of the work

The surface dressing season is during the warmer time of the year from May to September.

In colder and wetter weather, the bitumen used to stick the chippings to stick to the road surface is unable to work properly, leading to the failure of the repair.

Works on busier routes does not commence until 9.30am Monday to Friday and is generally completed by 3.30pm. However, due to the nature of these works, weather can also play its part and may cause works to continue beyond the 3.30pm target.

Road works that are delayed

There are several reasons why the work may not have started, or delayed on the day we're working. These usually come down to unexpected circumstances such as vehicle breakdown, non-delivery or even the weather. Severe weather such as heavy rain or hot days can prevent work from happening.

Loose chippings

Loose chippings are not immediately cleared after completion because a surplus is required as part of the process to provide an even spread of chippings over the road surface, to avoid any bare patches.

We leave the loose chips for a short period to be pushed down into the road surface by passing traffic after which any surplus chips are swept clear.

Advisory speed limit signs are left out for a few days until most of the loose chips have been removed. This is to protect the new road surface and to prevent damage to vehicles.

Depending on the weather we may carry out additional sweeping, dusting or watering to minimise the effect on traffic or residents and ensure the dressing is effective.

Informing residents about the works

Signs are usually put up on sites needing a road closure at least 7 to 14 days prior to works commencing. A letter containing further information is also delivered to properties that front the works.

Reasons roads are surfaced dressed and not resurfaced

If roads did not benefit from preventative surface dressing maintenance they would require replacement 3 or 4 times as often. Resurfacing roads causes increased traffic congestion and is much more expensive and time consuming.

Frequency of surface dressing

How often roads are surface dressed is dependent upon several factors. Ideally, a new carriageway will be surface dressed 3 times at intervals of between 10 and 15 years, followed by replacement after a further 10 to 15 years.

The difference between surface dressing and resurfacing

Surface dressing involves treating roads which are in relatively good condition with preventative maintenance treatments to maintain their good condition.

Resurfacing is a more extensive structural maintenance treatment which involves removing up to 300mm of a worn-out road surface and replacing this with new material.

Resurfacing

View a list of roads to be resurfaced.

Find out more about how we resurface or surface dress roads.