Work on a £3.4 million scheme aiming to reduce potholes on 60 roads in Cumbria has started.
Westmorland and Furness Council is investing in the surface dressing programme, managed by Kiely Bros, that will see 60 roads – around 67 miles – sealed with a preventative treatment to improve the road surface and delay potholes from developing for up to 10 years, according to Cumbria Crack.
The roads included in this year’s programme have been prepared and permanently patched, ready for the surface dressing to be applied. Each road in the scheme has been prioritised based on inspections to detect when a road is showing early signs of deterioration.
The council said surface dressing significantly extends the lifespan of a road by sealing the surface to prevent water from seeping in.
It added that it protects treated roads from freezing and wet winter weather, the leading cause of road damage across the area, which typically becomes visible in spring as temperatures begin to rise.
The process sees a coating of hot bitumen sprayed on to the surface, followed by a layer of stone chippings which are then lightly rolled and pressed to form a hard-wearing surface.
The surface dressing programme forms a part of Westmorland and Furness Council’s wider £32 million highways investment plan for 2026/2027.
The plan includes fixing potholes, resurfacing roads and repairs and improvements to gullies, footways and cycleways, bridges, retaining walls and other structures.
Cllr Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council cabinet member for highways and ICT said:
“The severe weather and freezing temperatures we face here takes its toll on the condition of our roads, which is why we have made proactively maintaining and improving our network a priority. Our surface dressing programme protects from the impacts of winter, preventing minor issues from escalating into bigger problems, like potholes, which understandably causes frustration for everyone.
“This treatment is not only a fast and effective way of maintaining our network, it enables us to reduce our impact on the environment and get the most out of every pound that we spend.
“After each scheme completes, we sweep and collect the spare chippings from the roadside and re-cycle them for use in future programmes, such as this year, where we are using 2,500 tonnes of recycled chippings from our 2025 works.
“Surface dressing is only a small part of our overall highways investment, which is delivering improvements across the area, including full road resurfacing and repairs to pavements and bridges.’’
(Picture: Magnific)
