Our surface dressing highway fixers are still in north Dorset reviving tired, rural roads by improving skid resistance and protecting them from water damage.

Work completed week ending 12 July:

• Barnes Close – Station Road to end, Sturminster Newton
• D31407 – from B3091 to High Street, West Orchard
• High Street – from D31408 to D31405 at Orchard Water Bridge, West Orchard
• High Street – from B3091 to D31407 at Vale Farm, West Orchard
• Village Road – from D31405 at Orchard Water Bridge to C138, West Orchard
• B3091 East Orchard School to Winchells Farm
• Stocky Lane – B3091 to Village Road at Bowling Green Farm, East Orchard
• Penn Hill – C52 crossroads, Bedchester to parish Boundary at Pen Copse

Our works schedule for the next two weeks, starting on Monday 15 July:

• The Corner – from The Cross to Courtney Close, Shroton
• D31305 – from Paynthouse Farm to B3091, Guy’s Marsh
• D31305 – from Green Lane to Paynthouse Farm, Guy’s Marsh
• Green Lane – Stour Row to Guy’s Marsh turning, Shaftesbury
• Green Lane – from Guy’s Marsh turning to B3091, Hartgrove
• D31301 – from Lymburghs Farm entrance to Higher Farm, Margaret Marsh
• C14 – Moorhayes to Ram’s Hill at D30916 / D31301 crossroads, Todber
• Angel Lane – Scotchy Lane to Stour Lane, Stour Provost
• D30902 – from The Church to Trill Bridge, Fife Magdalen
• D30902 – Trill Bridge to B3092, Fife Magdale
• Great Down Lane – Love Lane to B3092,  Marnhull
• Fillesymead – C15 to Fellowsmead, Marnhull
• Fellowsmead – Fillesymead to C15, Marnhull
• Common Lane – loop from C15, Marnhull
• Jct C107 to Jct C021, Westbrook
• Kendall Lane – from C142 to B3092, Milton-On-Stour
• School Lane – from B3095 to adoption end, Milton-On-Stour
• The Butts – Church Hill to Breach Lane, Shaftesbury
• Foots Hill – from B3081 to A350, Cann
• Chapel Hill, Compton Abbas

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.

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.