Surface dressing

Surface dressing is a treatment used on roads to protect and prolong their life. The work seals the road surface, keeping rainwater out, reducing frost damage and preventing potholes forming. The new surface improves braking, making the road safer.

Feedback

We're asking for feedback from local residents about how we deliver the surface dressing programme.

If your street is listed on this page, please look out for a letter which will include details about the surface dressing process and a link or QR code to our online survey.

The survey is open to residents who have had surface dressing carried out on their road.

We'll use the comments to look at ways to improve the way we do things.

About surface dressing

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 keep local people informed about the work by putting up signs around all the locations a week or so in advance, and a letter will be shared with households affected, explaining how and when we will be working.

We can't surface dress in some weather conditions, when it's damp, wet or cold, which could delay the works at the last minute.

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 for surface dressing, or PPSD.

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 will start on Tuesday 6 May 2025 and will be carried out at night time, usually between 7pm and 5am. The work will be completed by Wednesday 11 June 2025, weather permitting.

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 around 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 whilst 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. The work will start on Sunday 13 July 2025 for approximately 2 weeks.

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.

The work will start on Monday 7 July 2025 until Friday 22 August 2025. 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 2025

During 2025/26, we will invest £3.6 million to carry out surface dressing works at 57 sites across the county. We will surface dress 475,000 square metres of road surface – the equivalent to 43 football pitches.

Work starts on Friday 27 June 2025 and, subject to weather conditions, it's expected to be completed by Wednesday 16 July 2025.

The full list of major road improvements for the county to be carried out during 2025/2026 are included in the highways capital programme.

We have included the address, location and electoral division of the sites we will surface dress.

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.