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Hertfordshire County Council

Types of surfacing works in Hertfordshire

How we decide what's needed

We survey the condition of every public road in the county each year. The results of this survey are considered as well as other factors including:

  • current road conditions
  • likely future deterioration
  • usage
  • traffic
  • location.

Although we can’t fix all the roads at once, we give priority to those projects which within the available budget will give the best long term benefits.

Carriageway micro surfacing

Micro surfacing is a fast and economical way to preserve and protect worn road surfaces. This treatment uses cold materials so has a lower environmental impact than some other surfacing options.

We normally lay 2 coatings of material (a mixture of aggregate and bitumen) over the top of an existing surface to seal, protect it and improve skid resistance.

Micro surfacing work is weather sensitive – humidity, rain or cold weather can delay the works. Sometimes we may need to reschedule the programme at short notice.

Carriageway surface dressing

Surface dressing is a fast, sustainable and cost-effective maintenance treatment that prolongs the life of a road surface.

We lay a thin layer over the top of the existing road surface to seal and protect it, restoring skid resistance and preventing water getting in.

We do patch repairs to fix defects which the surface dressing won’t be able to fix. This is usually done 6 months before the main dressing works

We cover the road with hot bitumen then chippings are rolled in. A few days following the surface dressing, we sweep the road to remove loose chippings.

During this period, we ask customers to drive at 20mph to prevent damage to their vehicles. After we replace all the road markings, the temporary road signs will be removed.

Carriageway resurfacing

Resurfacing is a fast maintenance treatment which replaces the old road surface with a new surface at the same level and removes potholes.

We remove the old surface, clean the planed surface and spray it with a bond coat to help the new surface stick to it. We lay the new material in 1 or 2 layers. We'll also adjust or replace manhole covers on the road, if required.

Footpath micro surfacing

Footpath micro surfacing is a fast and economical way to preserve and protect worn footpaths.

We spread a water-based mixture of stones and bitumen over the top of an existing footpath to seal and protect it. This happens in a series of steps which may be over several weeks.

Micro surfacing work is weather sensitive – rain or cold weather on the day can delay the works.

 

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