ESSEX Highways has now launched its 2023/24 programme to upgrade the condition of many roads across the county repairing some of the damage caused by the cold and wet winter conditions.

Essex Highways’ 2023/24 budget for maintaining and repairing the carriageway across Essex over the next year is over £35 million. This does not include the £9 million additional investment announced as part of the Essex Highways budget in February, which has now been allocated to the following works:

• £3.46 million for road resurfacing
• £4 million for two member led footways schemes, where members will prioritise funding across their districts.
• £1.54 million for carriageway patching. 

An extra £1.2 million has also been allocated to Local Highway Panels for resurfacing and Members will work with the panels in their districts to allocate funding to the defects they prioritise. Additional crews have also been put in place to support Essex Highways teams deliver maintenance and repairs across Essex.

Councillor Lee Scott, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: “The additional investment allocated to fixing Essex’s roads is a clear commitment from Essex County Council to ensuring damage caused by the winter is repaired and roads are maintained. 

“It’s exciting the resurfacing programme is now underway and is being supported by additional crews secured to help with the volume of work required to repair roads the width and breadth of the county and increase the visibility of the service as these repairs are carried out.” 

Essex Highways’ engineers routinely and carefully inspect and record the condition of all roads on the network, to ensure the highest risk jobs are prioritised for the safety of the public.

There are five main resurfacing methods that are used across Essex:

• Surface dressing is used where the surface is in reasonably good condition but needs sealing to stop water damage. A large area can be covered very quickly and once completed it can last up to ten years.
•  Micro surfacing is a more durable process which places a thin layer of a completely new surface on the road. It takes longer to cover a given area than surface dressing but is used where roads are busier and the surface needs levelling off.
•  Machine resurfacing involves removing the existing surface, and a completely new surface is laid. It is a slower process but is very effective in places where the road is badly worn and is required to take heavy traffic.
•  Recycling is used in limited areas where the condition of the road is only slightly less than desired and a very durable new surface can be laid. It is easier to re-use existing materials rather than bring in new stone for this method.
•  Joint and crack sealing is necessary to stop water damage to the underlying surface. The road surface type will determine which method will be used.

Inspections and technical scans provide information on when it is more economical and efficient to renew the entire surface. By resurfacing the road by any of these means, it ensures that the road becomes more water-resistant, potholes are repaired and the road benefits from improved paint work and skid-resistance for many years.

Resurfacing works are different from makes safe works that take place during the winter months to repair dangerous potholes. Makes safes are temporary repairs that are made to high-risk damage while a permanent repair is scheduled, which sometimes could be the resurfacing works. 

Resurfacing works can be disruptive and need road closures, but the work to the road will last for many years. To make it easier for the work to take place, residents and visitors are asked not to park on the area of road that is to be resurfaced, as that can cause costly re-visits or even prevent the work being done at all. 

On the busiest routes, surfacing works are often carried out at night, which allows longer working sessions than during the day and enables works to be completed more quickly, reducing the impacts on road users and nearby residents. 

For more information about resurfacing works and to find out where they will be taking place, please visit our website.

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