Herefordshire road investment

Surface dressing

Surface dressing is an important part of our road maintenance programme and is used to prolong the life of roads across the county.

In 2024/25, Herefordshire Council will be investing £3.66 million in a surface dressing programme across the county's C and unclassified road network. This follows on from a pre-surface dressing patching programme of works that was completed in 2023/24.

View the list of proposed locations included in the surface dressing programme

Surface dressing involves applying a layer of bitumen binder to the existing road surface followed by a layer of stone chippings. The chippings are then rolled into the binder to create a durable and skid-resistant surface. This process helps to seal the road surface, preventing water from penetrating and causing damage to the underlying layers. This also helps to prevent potholes from forming.

Read more about the surface dressing process.

Surface dressing is a preventative maintenance treatment that is best used before the road condition deteriorates significantly and to keep the roads in a good condition for longer. Typically it prolongs the life of the road for 10-15 years and it can be redressed in the future.

Resurfacing

Resurfacing is an extensive method which is used on roads that are near the end of their life or where there may be structural issues that cannot be remedied with surface dressing.

In 2024/25, Herefordshire Council is investing £8 million into resurfacing parts of the county's highway network, with £5 million being committed to the A and B and a further £3 million for the C and unclassified road networks.

Lengths of road have been identified for resurfacing works following detailed and comprehensive surface and structural condition surveys. These surveys help us to objectively prioritise where we need to invest across Herefordshire's highway network.

View the list of proposed locations included in the resurfacing programme

Resurfacing is where the existing road surface is completely removed, remedial works are carried out to the structural layers of the road and then a new road surface is laid.

This method can extend the life of the road for 15-25 years depending on materials. However, it is more costly.

You can keep up to date with road information on our roadworks map.