Highway Maintenance
Road maintenance - Surface Dressing
What is Surface Dressing?
Surface Dressing is a relatively low cost road maintenance process which involves the spraying of bitumen onto the road surface and then covering it with a layer of stone chippings.
Initially the chippings are simply held in place by the fresh bitumen. The new chippings are then rolled into the bitumen but only become fully embedded under the action of vehicle tyres. Traffic is allowed onto the new surface, at a reduced speed, to help to push the chippings into the road. The action of traffic soon begins to embed the chips, forming a stable and hard wearing new surface.
When is Surface Dressing carried out?
Surface Dressing takes place after mid-March and finishes by early October each year.
Find Out More
How Surface Dressing work is carried out - what to expect if you live nearby
How you can help Surface Dressing run smoothly
Related links
Road maintenance techniques
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