Over the next two weeks, our surface dressing gang is continuing to treat roads in the west of Dorset.

As we head into more rural areas, and work on lesser-known roads, please remember you can check where we are working by using the online roadworks map.

Work completed week starting Monday 13 May:

• Northmoor Way, Wareham
• Dual carriageway (northbound) – Bere Road to Northmoor Way, Wareham
• Link from Northmoor Way to A351 (opposite golf club entrance)
• Timber Hill, Lyme Regis
• C18 – from B3164, Birdsmoorgate to entrance to Lower House Farm, Bettiscombe
• C18 – entrance to Lower House Farm to Mutton Street at Marshwood Cross
• Beaminster Tunnel to A356 Road – Jct C67, Beaminster Down, to Jct A356, Toller Down

Work scheduled week starting Monday 20 May:

• C37 – Curry Hole Lane, Halstock to entrance at Furlongs, Corscombe
• Back Lane, Evershot
• Fore Street – Back Lane to Summer Lane, Evershot
• The Common – Summer Lane to Park Lane (access to Melbury Park), Evershot
• East Hill – Park Lane to Blind Lane (footpath), Evershot
• Frome St Quintin Road – A37, Horchester, to Charity Bottom, Chalmington
• Frome Lane – link section at Cruxton Lane Jct, Frome Vauchurch

Work scheduled week starting Tuesday 28 May:

• Back Lane – C28 to end of road, Maiden Newton
• Back Lane/Cruxton – C28 to end of road, Maiden Newton
• C19 – A37, Folly Hill to Marr’s Cross, Sydling St Nicholas
• Up Sydling Road – C19 to end of road, Up Sydling
• Batcombe Road – from C45, Leigh to Calfhay Lane, Crocker’s Knap X-Roads
• Brister End and part section High Street, Yetminster
• Bailey Ridge Lane – from C69, Holm Bushes to C45, Stake Ford Cross

About the work

Our surface dressing gang is working 9am to 4pm in urban areas and 8am to 4pm in rural areas.

Surface dressing doesn’t take long and the road can be driven on as soon as it’s finished. Depending on the length of the road you live on, the road will be closed for around 1-2 hours while the treatment takes place.

There will be an advisory 20mph speed limit after the work while the loose stones ‘bed down’ into the bitumen. Travelling at this reduced speed will prevent skidding on the loose chippings, help ‘bed down’ the material and will save your paint work!

We sweep the road one to two days after the work to get rid of excess stones.

White lining reinstatement will follow on from this and is generally a week or so later.

Sorry for the inconvenience

We cannot work overnight as surface dressing relies on the evaporation of water from the bitumen binder (glue) for it to set, and it needs traffic to travel on the new surface for it to ‘bed down’ and lock onto the old surface.

We also cannot work in wet weather – any amount of rain or surface water dilutes the bitumen and so doesn’t hold the chippings in place – which is why our surface dressing programme runs from April through to September.

As this treatment is so weather dependent, dates are subject to change.