FIFTY of the county’s roads will be given a new lease of life this summer, thanks to two improvement programmes.

The work, which starts this month, will waterproof and seal the road surface, improving safety and extending the life of the carriageway for up to 10 years.

A total of 31 roads will undergo surface dressing work while the remaining 19 are included on the micro asphalt programme.

Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, said: “Carrying out this work is an effective way of protecting our roads from water damage and frost, which can lead to potholes.

“Our summer programme, just part of the £15 million investment we are making in our road network this year, allows us to target roads most at risk of wear and tear, preventing more serious damage which may then require more costly reconstruction work.”

Surface dressing involves coating the road in bitumen and chippings and relies on the action of the traffic using the road to embed the chippings. Once surface dressing is complete, the road will be swept after 24 hours, three days and again after a week. Road markings and cats eyes will then be replaced.

For micro asphalt work, a thin layer of bitumen and stone is added to the existing road surface. A kilometre of road can be treated in just one day and traffic can use the road within around 45 minutes of the work being completed.

Affected roads will be closed to traffic with signed diversion routes in place during the work, the schedule of which is subject to change depending on weather.

Cllr Dowling added: “With road closures, we appreciate the work will cause some disruption but would ask motorists to bear with us as the result will be a smoother and safer ride.”

More information about the work and up-to-date information about the summer programme will be available on the East Sussex Highways website at www.eastsussexhighways.com/surface-dressing and www.eastsussexhighways.com/micro-asphalt

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