£2.5m roads improvement project begins

Work is starting this week on a £2.5m road improvement scheme across the East Riding which will help to prevent potholes.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s highways maintenance team will begin work on its annual road surface dressing scheme as part of essential works being carried out during the Coronavirus lockdown.

Over the next five months, the highways crews will upgrade road surfaces at 63 locations.

Around 13,000 tonnes of stone chippings will be laid on 67 miles of road, from A roads to unclassified routes.

This year’s surface dressing programme has been changed to target mainly rural roads, in order to help highways staff stick to social distancing measures while they work.

Surface dressing is carried out every year by the council between April and August, as a quick and economical way of repairing, maintaining and extending the life of a road.

Councillor Mike Stathers, portfolio holder for enhancing communities at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Surface dressing is our first line of defence against potholes and plays an essential part in protecting our roads for years to come.

“Obviously our highways team has had to make changes due to the Covid-19 outbreak, which has meant moving operations to more rural locations and all staff following social distancing guidelines as they work.

“We’d like to thank residents and motorists in advance for their patience while this year’s work is carried out.”

Signs will be placed on all roads involved in the surface dressing a week before the work takes place.

Disruption to traffic will be kept to a minimum, but 20-mph speed limits will be in place to protect both the travelling public and the council’s workforce.