Surface dressing is underway to repair suitable roads across Dorset as part of the annual programme of road maintenance work.
Dorset Highways’ surface dressing gang will be starting in the west of the county and will then travel to northern and eastern roads in need of repair, before ending the season near Dorchester.
Surface dressing prolongs the life of roads by providing a waterproof seal, while also improving skid resistance. It forms a vital part of Dorset Highways’ annual road maintenance programme, alongside patching, micro-surfacing, in-situ recycling, road preservation and resurfacing treatments.
Using a variety of surface treatments ensures that more of Dorset Council’s roads get repaired with the budget available, compared to using resurfacing alone.
The best treatment is selected based on the severity of damage and how deep the damage is, as well as considering how heavily trafficked the road is and the types of vehicles using it.
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.
Dry weather & daytime only
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. Please look out for advance information boards, which will also be updated if there is any change in schedule.
Please use our online form to report road-related issues/damage. This goes directly to the local community highways officer for assessment.
Please remember you can check where we are working using the online roadworks map.
May (starting 4 May)
Mapperton Lane, Melplash – Jct B3163, Storridge Hill, to Jct A3066
Newtown, Beaminster – Fleet Lane, at Shortmoor Lane Jct, to Bowgrove Road
Bowgrove Road, Beaminster – Newtown Jct to Jct Meerhay Manor Access
Axnoller Lane, Beaminster – Jct C102 to end of road
Common Water Lane, Broadwindsor – Jct B3164 to end of inspected section by Cottage Farm
Potwell Lane, Mosterton – Jct C101, Littlewindsor, to Jct A3066
Mosterton Down Lane – Somerset county boundary to Down Road
Hackney, Corscombe – Jct High Street to Jct A356
Higher Halstock – Jct C132, near Halstock, to end of road
Adam’s Green, Halstock – Jct C37 to Jct C38, Clarkham Cross
Church Street, Halstock – Jct C132/130 to Jct Locke Farm
Back Lane, Halstock – Jct Locke Farm to Jct D11711 Abbott’s Hill Lane at Legg’s Bridge
Abbott’s Hill Lane, Halstock – Jct C132, Legg’s Bridge, to Somerset county boundary
Netherstoke Lane, Halstock – Jct D11711 Abbott’s Hill Lane at Legg’s Bridge to Jct C37 Yeovil Road
Back Lane, Chetnole – start of road to Jct Rivers Lane
C93, Chetnole – Jct C93 Batcombe Lane, near St Peter’s Church, to Jct D20559 Back Lane
Birch Lane, Yetminster – Jct C93 to Jct Mill Lane
Church Street, Yetminster – Jct C45 to Jct Birch Lane
Ryme Road, Yetminster
Cross Road, Bradford Abbas – Jct C35, Westbury, to Jct Back Lane
Queen’s Road, Bradford Abbas – Jct Bishop’s Lane to Jct C35
Back Lane, Bradford Abbas – Jct Cross Road to Southern Jct C35
Church Road, Bradford Abbas – Jct C35 Grants Hill to Jct D20514 Mill Lane
Westbury, Bradford Abbas – Jct D20514 Mill Lane to Jct C35 Underdown Hollow
Bishop’s Lane, Bradford Abbas – Jct Queens Road to Jct C35
Farm Road, Bradford Abbas – Jct C35 to Jct Queens Road
Hardings Lane, Sherborne – Jct C11 to Jct A352, Limekiln Farm
St Catherine’s Way, Sherborne – Horsecastles Lane to St Catherine’s Crescent
St Catherine’s Crescent, Sherborne – loop, west to east, off Ridgeway
St Mary’s Road, Sherborne – Sect.105 to Ridgeway
Ridgeway, Sherborne – Jct A352 to Jct Littlefield
Westbridge Park, Sherborne – Jct Littlefield to Jct Lenthay Road
Lenthay Road, Sherborne – Jct A352 to road narrowing outside primary school
Blackberry Lane, Sherborne – Jct B3145 to Jct Coombe Road
Wood Lane, Stalbridge – C94 to A357 Thornhill Road
Jarvis Way, Stalbridge – Station Road to Ring Street
Gold Street, Stalbridge – A357 to Park Grove
Mowes Lane, Marnhull – C15 to B3092
Tanzey Lane, Marnhull – Sodom Lane to B3092
Sodom Lane, Marnhull
Nash Lane, Marnhull – Jct Love Lane to Pilwell
Great Down Lane, Marnhull – Love Lane to B3092
Musbury Lane, Marnhull – Hains Lane to end of road
Mill Lane, Stour Provost – The Street to adoption end
Church Lane, Stour Provost – The Street to B3092
The Street, Stour Provost – Church Lane to end of road
Butts Lane, Stour Provost – Church Lane to B3092
Common Lane, East Stour – A30 Kings Arms Jct to adoption end
Shave Hill, Buckhorn Weston – Jct Way Close Lane, near Somerset county boundary, south to Shepherds Hill
D30703, Buckhorn Weston – Jct C107 Shave Hill to Somerset county boundary
Harry Lodge’s Lane, Gillingham – Langham Lane to Westbrook Road
Common Mead Lane, Gillingham – B3081 to Bollards
Broad Robin, Gillingham – Jct B3081 to Jct Common Mead Lane
Tomlins Lane, Gillingham – Hyde Road to end of cul-de-sac
Hyde Road, Gillingham – Wavering Way to Jct 110/115
D30514, Gillingham – Jct B3092 to Purns Mill Lane
Calves Lane, Shaftesbury – B3081 to A30
Breach Common, Shaftesbury – Breach Lane to C15 Foyle Hill
B3091, Shaftesbury – St James’s Street to D1105 Jct
C138, Twyford – Jct D31108 Crockers Farm Lane to Jct D31502 Hawkcombe Lane
Hawkcombe Lane, Compton Abbas – C138 to A350
French Mill Lane, Melbury Abbas – Pitts Lane to A350
Gascoignes Lane, Shaftesbury – loop off French Mill Lane
Pitts Lane, Melbury Abbas – D31107 to Jct French Mill Lane
Quarry Lane, Melbury Abbas – Jct West Lane to School Lane
I wondered whether I would see some surface dressing in Rectory Road, Piddlehinton. Sadly, I do not. There is some wear and subsidence beside one of the drains opposite my house, Little Puddle Cottage, and there is a thunderous rattling noise when tractors and trailers and the massive amount of agricultural and industrial traffic which use this road go over this particular part of the road. I doubt whether a traffic calming system will ever come into fruition. Too much heavy traffic use this ‘rat run’ but the speed at which heavy vehicles hit this dip in the road is very noticeable. Perhaps you could give some attention at a later stage to some surface dressing here? Thank you.
I see that Village Rd in Bradpole remains with patches & pot holes,
not very satisfactory.
Village Rd in Bradpole, needs resurfacing, patches & pot holes, make it quite intolerable in this day & age.
Is no treatment planned for Bay Road Gillingham, which is in a poor condition all the way from the Co-Op shop to The Malthouse care home?
Will East Dorset get any attention?
I have previously reported the very poor state of the Lawrence’s Farm access road in West Milton. As your teams are working all around this area is this road included in the resurfacing programme?
What your surface dressing article does not mention is that this surface is one of the nosiest road surfaces when vehicles are using it. We experience this on a daily basis.
“For surface dressing the noise level increased by 4.5 dB per mm with increasing MPD values [38]. The cost of surface dressing can be quite low. It
depends on the material used and on its thickness. It usually varies from 1.00 €/m2 to 2.50 €/m2.”
A large amount of people will not be voting in Ferndown because they have no idea who they are voting for and why !!!! Road at the eastern end of Westwood Avenue, Ferndown is in a very bad condition, any news of repairs being done soon.?
When is repair/resurfacing of Mill Lane from junction with Batcombe Lane to Mill Lane Bridge scheduled?
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I wasn’t sure if my comment would be noted but today two very nice lads worked on the rutted dip in Rectory Road, Piddlehinton, thus putting an end to the clanking noise each time a lorry and trailer went over it. We are very appreciative.
Kind regards
Carol Austin