50 stretches of road are to get surface dressed to prevent potholes
Shropshire Council says its workers will be treating more than 50 stretches of road in the county as part of an 'annual surface dressing programme' – designed to prevent potholes forming.
The council says the work "will play a key role in its drive to improve the county’s roads", which have faced considerable criticism from residents in recent months over the proliferation of potholes.
Some roads have already been treated as part of the project, including the B5068 Ifton Heath to Cross Lanes at Dudleston Heath, Birch Road at Tetchill, Deermoss in Whitchurch, and Church Street, Hodnet.
By the time it is completed in August the work should have covered so 819,000 square metres of road, according to a spokesman for the council.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for highways, said the work would be crucial in improving the county's roads by stopping potholes forming.
He said: "As well as improving and protecting our roads, this important programme of work plays a crucial role in helping to prevent potholes and other defects forming in the future.
"Pothole treatment is very much about prevention as well as cure and this is one important way that we can aim to prevent potholes forming next winter."
Surface dressing involves applying and rolling aggregate ‘chippings’ onto a bitumen binder.
The work seals the surface, improves the surface texture and prolongs the life of the road by many years.
The council described it as a "quick, efficient and cost-effective way of preventing potholes, maintaining skid-resistance and waterproofing road surfaces".
A total of 52 sites have been identified for treatment and they are located across the county, including all types of road, from urban cul-de-sacs to major ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads.
