Road improvements costing £3.5 million are due to be carried out in the East Riding this spring and summer to help protect against potholes and other damage.
East Riding Council is investing the money in its annual surface dressing programme, which is due to begin on April 16 and is expected to take 13 weeks to complete, depending on the weather.
The programme will cover all types of roads, from A roads to unclassified roads. It will upgrade 139 sections of road in the area – about 69 miles in total, which is the same as a straight road from Beverley to Hartlepool.
About 13,400 tonnes of stone chippings will be laid on road surfaces during the spring and summer operation.
Surface dressing is a fast and cost-effective method of fixing, preserving and prolonging the lifespan of a road, and it is carried out annually by the council’s own highways maintenance team.
The work consists of applying hot, adhesive bitumen on the road, covering it with chippings and then rolling them in.
Afterwards, road sweepers clear away any loose chippings after a few days. New road markings are then put down as quickly as possible.
The process actively reduces the risk of potholes forming as it seals the road and stops water from entering and damaging the surface. It also greatly improves skid resistance for vehicles. The process is carried out during the spring and summer months as it requires warmer temperatures for the bitumen and chippings to take effect.
Different roads are chosen for surface dressing each year across the East Riding.
Cllr Paul West, the council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Our annual surface dressing plays a vitally important role in protecting the East Riding’s roads and defending against potholes and other damage.
“Our teams will be working in more than 100 locations across the area this spring and summer and we’d like to thank residents and motorist for bearing with us while this work is carried out.”
Surface dressing forms part of the council’s planned highway maintenance programme.
Residents and drivers will be informed before the works begin. A leaflet will be sent to all residents who will be affected by the works and advance warning signs will be put up on the roads beforehand.
During and after the work temporary 20mph speed limits are in force on the treated roads to reduce the possibility of vehicles skidding on the loose chippings and will be removed when the new road markings have been installed.
Disruption to traffic will be kept to a minimum, but drivers are asked to respect the 20mph speed limit that will be in place to protect both the travelling public and the council’s workforce.
After the surfacing dressing is complete, any loose stone chippings left behind will not go to waste.
Mechanical road sweepers are used to collect up all the loose chippings, which are then stored.
Then every two years the council hires a giant industrial washing and grading machine to clean all the loose chippings so they can be recycled and reused on the roads the following year.
The process recycles more than 7,000 tonnes of chippings and saves about £60,000 of council taxpayers’ money.
