The Chancellor’s budget announcement last week of an additional £500million for road maintenance was great news for local highway authorities and motorists.

Now, the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) is offering help to local authorities that so far have not included surface treatments in their highway maintenance strategies.

But, said the association, it is essential that as well as replacing end of life roads and repairing potholes, local highway authorities also consider use of surface treatments as part of a preventative maintenance strategy to secure maximum return on investment, and to prevent the formation of future potholes and other defects.

With the cost of fixing potholes and resurfacing going up, use of surface treatments makes total sense if you want to do more with the money you have for maintenance, said the RSTA

If these additional funds are spent entirely on pothole repairs and conventional resurfacing of end of life roads, only a small proportion of the network will be treated, and roads currently prime for sealing and prolonging with surface treatments, will go untreated and continue to deteriorate, leading to more potholes in the future.

Preventative maintenance treatments can support highways service objectives linked to managing road condition, through sealing and extending road life, and further support objectives linked to road safety and collision prevention, through restoring surface texture.

Surface treatments also offer lower carbon alternatives to conventional asphalt, both in the immediate term and as part of a whole life comparison, supporting climate emergency strategies. Some treatments are more than 90% more carbon efficient, compared to resurfacing.

Surface treatments can fit alongside any other treatment as part of a proactive approach to asset management. Some of them can be very quickly applied, sometimes at night, meaning far less disruption for the public, as well as less traffic management etc.

The Road Surface Treatment Association (RSTA) is a not for profit, trade organisation, working in and on behalf of, the highways sector; offering support, guidance and information to both our association members, and to local highway authorities.

If you would like further information on developing preventative maintenance strategies or any surface treatments, we have a number of ways of helping. Please contact the RSTA either :

• By phone – 01902 824325
• By email – [email protected]
• Go to our website to our free to download, ADEPT endorsed, Codes of Practice documents (Document Gallery – RSTA (rsta-uk.org))
• or go to our dedicated websites supporting RSTA campaigns

Home – Pothole Prevention Week

The RSTA can offer information on the following treatments:

• Preservation/rejuvenation
• Surface dressing
• Microsurfacing (including CAUTS for 250> cv l d)
• Recycling, including in situ recycling
• Geosynthetics and steel meshes
• Retexturing/reprofiling
• High friction surfacing
• Patching
• Crack seal and joint repairs
• Ironwork installation and repairs
• Repairs to concrete pavements
• Bond coats and bituminous materials to asphalt
• Grouted macadam systems.

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