THE CONDITION of almost 50 roads in and around Redditch is set to be upgraded as part of a £3.5million countywide surface dressing programme.
Work will take place in Redditch throughout June and see a total of 200 roads and 1.2million square metres of carriageway across Worcestershire improved.
Surface dressing involves spraying on a coating of bitumen to waterproof roads followed by one or more layers of stone chippings to restore skid resistance, which are then rolled.
The aim of the project is to catch roads halfway through their lifespan and extend them before they get to the point where they need completely resurfacing.
It is up to ten times more cost effective compared to other methods of repairing roads and allows work to be carried out quickly so causing minimal traffic disruption. But it has attracted criticism from some residents who view it as a cheap fix.
The Alvechurch Highway, Coldfield Drive and the East and Westbound A448 are among the major roads included in the programme.
Roads in Church Hill, Park Farm, Webheath and Matchborough also form part of the scheme.
Coun John Smith OBE, responsible for highways on Worcestershire County Council, said following the wettest winter on record it was inevitable some of the county’s roads had suffered.
“It’s an excellent preventative maintenance measure that offers good value for the taxpayer, which has been used to successfully improve hundreds of miles of highway in Worcestershire over the last few years.” he said.
“We know from residents and businesses that improving of our highways is a priority. Over the last few years we have invested more than £50million in projects like this and the situation has improved but we are committed to continuing efforts.”
Residents and businesses on affected roads will be contacted before the work takes place.
The Standard reported three weeks ago how more than half of residents are unhappy with the condition of Worcestershire’s roads.
