Work starts this May to maintain rural and residential roads as part of our annual programme of surface dressing.
Working times will be between 5am and 6pm and letters are sent to those farms, schools and businesses affected, with advice on road closures, suspension of on-street parking and any required diversions during these hours. We thank everyone in advance for their support and patience.
Surface dressing prolongs the life of roads by providing a waterproof seal, while also improving skid resistance. It is a vital part of our annual road maintenance programme, alongside patching, micro-surfacing, in-situ recycling, road preservation and resurfacing.
This year, around 400,000m² (approximately 95 miles) of road will be treated with surface dressing.
Week commencing 15 May 2023
Tarrant Monkton – Valley Road – Parish Boundary 500m south of A354, Tarrant Hinton to Junction with Village Street
Woodlands – C76 Kings Lane
Woodlands – C76 – Junction B3078, Near Matterley Cottages to Horton Road junction
Ferndown – Bunting Road, Leeson Drive to Hilltop Road
Ferndown – Beaufoys Avenue, West Moors road – adopted road only
West Parley – Winnards Close
West Moors – Uplands Road
Week commencing 22 May 2023
West Moors – Braeside Road, from Glenwood Road to end
St Leonards & St Ives – Laurel Lane, Braeside Road to Woolsbridge Road,
St Leonards & St Ives – Malmesbury Road, Heather Close to Cedar Avenue
St Leonards & St Ives – Fir Tree Close, from Oaks to end
St Leonards & St Ives – Willow Close, from Heath Road to end
St Leonards & St Ives – Sylvan Close from Craigside Road
St Leonard & St Ives – Ivy Close, Ashley Heath – Craigside Road to end
St Leonard & St Ives – Craigside Road from Lions Lane to end Ashley Heath
St Leonard & St Ives – Sandy Lane, Ashley Heath from Woolsbridge Road to Ringwood Road service road
Hurn Lane – Hurn Lane/Hurn Road, Ashley Heath
Further sites will be communicated once work has been confirmed. In the meantime, see all roadworks on our map.
What is surface dressing?
It is a quick process, with bitumen binder sprayed onto the road to seal it against water damage and stone chippings spread onto this to restore grip, with these compacted down with a roller.
Drivers can travel on the road as soon as the work is finished, with slow moving vehicles helping to further embed the stone chippings.
A sweeper travels along the road within 48 hours to clear any immediate surplus stone, with line markings reinstated shortly afterwards.
Surface dressing relies on the evaporation of water from the bitumen binder (glue) for it to set, so can only be carried out in dry weather.
As the work is highly weather dependent, residents are being asked to look out for yellow advance warning signs in their area which will provide the most accurate information.
Working times will be between the hours of 5am and 6pm. Work cannot take place at night due to the necessary evaporation process and will not be carried out over the weekend or on Bank Holidays.
Pity you haven’t learnt from the Romans. Skin deep treatment is a temporary fix
Footpaths and road surfaces around the Weymouth and Portland area must be fantastic
Hi Vern, this is the first phase of surface dressing and we will be doing communications about further sites in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you would like to report a particular area, our online form enables you to give all the details – https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement Regards, Claire
Ferndown. Roadworks on Wimborne Road East,Queens Road, Church Road, Beaufoys Avenue May 17th. Getting out of Pinewood Road onto Wimborne Road dangerous due to road furniture across line of vision. Victoria Road traffic at a standstill due to road works. Parley Cross again a nightmare. Ferndown is impossible to enter or leave without allowing af least 1 hour extra to get to work hospitals etc Perhaps a big reduction in council tax is due to local residents
any chance of doing anything in West Dorset.
e.g. Beaminster to Broadwindsor.
Hi Michael, in order to pinpoint the location, please can you complete our online form with the details: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement Regards, Claire
Can you advise if Ullswater Crescent and Windermere Crescent in DT3 Weymouth are due to be surfaced dresssed, the situation is you can now see concrete with no tarmac or top dressing on many parts of the road.
Dear Brian, I have put in a request for information about these areas. If you haven’t already done so, please could you kindly complete our online form that goes directly to the Highways team: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement Best regards, Claire
Hi Brian, our engineers have confirmed they are aware of the issue and are reviewing the best course of action to repair. If you wish to provide any further information about the road please do complete the online form where you can pinpoint where particular issues are and give any further information including contact details. Many thanks for raising this. Best regards, Claire
How about doing something meaningful in Gillingham? Bay Road is an absolute disgrace and Wyke Street/Road are deteriorating by the day at the bottom end.
Hi Robert, in order to pinpoint the locations, please can you complete our online form with the details: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement
Still none of the needy roads on Portland? The lower end of Reforne needs proper resurfacing though.
Hi Stuart, in order to pinpoint the location, please can you complete our online form with the details: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement Thank you, Claire
The new Car Park charges in Weymouth are extraordinarily expensive. Around the country there are few higher. Even London is cheaper. This is outrageous. Do you really want to kill off all businesses in Weymouth. I live here but go off to supermarkets etc out of town as I refuse to pay these inflated charges. If I do it so do many others. This needs immediate review as it is discrimination to our town compared with others.
Hi Christine, we have aimed to keep the impact on residents and businesses to a minimum, with not all tariffs increasing. For example, in Weymouth Governors Lane, Cozens Quay and Council offices car parks prices have not increased.
Our permits are a money saving option for residents. For example, our Short Stay permit enabling two hours parking in many of our car parks every day costs £78 a year, so if even just used for two hours a week that is £1.50 a time. Our Flexi car park permit, giving unlimited parking in the majority of our car parks costs £25 if purchased for a month, or £260 for 12 months, the equivalent of £5 a week for year-round parking. You can se3 more about our permits and apply here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/permits/apply-for-a-parking-permit Claire
This is all very well. But when are you going to do something about the busy roads in the centre of Bournemouth ! Some of the pot holes are now dangerous I.e Meyrick road at the Lansdowne
This road is being done by BCP Council in October 2023 needs 5 day road closed, Delayed due to Subsidence and gas leek in March 2023
This is all very well. But when are you going to do something about the busy roads in the centre of Bournemouth ! Some of the pot holes are now dangerous I.e Meyrick road at the Lansdowne
This is all very well. But when are you going to do something about the busy roads in the centre of Bournemouth ! Some of the pot holes are now dangerous I.e Meyrick road at the Lansdowne
If I have already said this, why is nothing done !,
Hi Lorna, these come under BCP Council. Here is a link to their reporting forms if you’d like to feed back them online: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Roads-and-transport/Report-a-problem-on-a-road-or-pavement/report-a-problem-on-a-road-or-pavement.aspx Regards, Claire
I am pleased to read the activities to improve many roads in Dorset and trust it will be a positive outcome.
On the other hand, however, as a motorist and motorcyclist I find it very frustrating, on a daily basis, to experience the very poor condition on roads near our home. All too often there are white borders sprayed around potholes or general damaged tarmac and that lasts for many weeks. Why does it take so long? One of the worst roads is under the railway bridge at West Stafford where the lack of tarmac feels like lots of gravel stuck to the road surface. My wife had regular visits to DCH for cancer treatment, for many months and this part of the road was so bumpy it was very painful for her every time she had to put up with this! It has been like this for many years too and nothing has been done about it. I would seriously appreciate new tarmac on this area ASAP, please!
Dear Ron, thank you for your comment. I will pass your comments on but, if you haven’t already done so, please can you fill in our online form where you will find a map that allows you to pinpoint where the issues are. This form then goes directly to the Highways team so they can follow it up: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement Best regards, Claire
Having travelled yesterday along Castle Road West and Castle Road East heading to Christchurch I was very disappointed to note the numerous potholes (some between 4″ – 6″ in depth) and breaking up of the road service, especially as in the last couple of years much effort and cost has been applied to improving this stretch of road. It appears that your current standard of resurfacing to the road is insufficient and time consuming! As a consequence I would urge those Senior officials within Dorset Council who have the responsibility of Highways Maintenance to research and find a more suitable method which is both timely and cost effective to repair our roads within Dorset.
Have these two stretches of road had a recent survey undertaken and when can they be expected to be suitably repaired?
Assuming you mean Castle Road or Castle Lane East/West in Bournemouth, this highway is the responsibility of BCP Council.
I live in Gorse Close St Leonards every time roads and pavements are done in our area we are left out it seems to be just because we’re only 5 property’s our road and pavements need doing we have a neighbour in a wheelchair who finds it very uncomfortable,they’re doing all around us today.
Hello, our team are due to meet with the specialist contractor soon so their programme of work can be drawn up. We anticipate the work will then take place in late summer/early autumn. Sorry it is not earlier. We will issue communications closer to the date when it is confirmed. Regards, Claire
Dear Sirs,
Dorset County Council can spend money on resurfacing roads and unused cycle lanes but spend nothing on public footpaths used by elderly people who have to use walking aids, the footpaths around Wessex Oval are a disgrace making people walk in he road, they have more utility patches than pavement.
Dear Martin, if you can complete our online form and mark on our map where the problems are, this will go directly to the team which deals with footpaths: https://mapping.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/rightsofway/reportproblem Best regards, Claire