Nearly 100 roads across Oxfordshire will be improved as part of a £7.4 million highway maintenance programme beginning this spring.

Oxfordshire County Council and its contractor will be visiting 73 towns and villages between 22 April-16 June to carry out surface dressing work. Over one million square metres of carriageway will be treated.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said:

“Prevention is better than cure, and this work builds on a similar programme of work, which we carried out last year.

“We realise how important the quality of our roads is to our residents and this work will help keep many miles of highways in a better condition for years to come. Surface dressing is one of the most cost effective methods of roads maintenance, with the spring and summer being the best time to complete the work.

“The council is urging motorists to watch out for notifications of the work taking place and to drive carefully after it has been carried out.”

Driving too fast on a recently treated road can result in broken windscreens or chipped paintwork, as the friction from the tyres can dislodge loose chips. There is also an increased risk of skidding while the new chippings ‘bed in’.

For these reasons, an advisory speed limit of 20mph will be put in place. It is important to adhere to these low speeds until all warning signs have been removed.

Surface dressing involves applying bituminous emulsion onto the road as a binder. This is followed immediately by the application of chippings to dress the emulsion layer.