Summer programme of micro asphalt resurfacing to begin

A £500,000 programme of improvement works to extend the life of residential roads across the borough is set to begin.

Micro asphalt has been used for a number of years in Darlington and is applied to existing road surfaces to seal the surface from water ingress, repair minor damage and prevent potholes forming.

A less intensive process than traditional road resurfacing, which can take several days, micro asphalt is a cost-effective way of protecting roads without causing too much disruption to residents and commuters.

The material that is laid on the surface is water based – once it is laid there is a period of a couple of weeks where the water evaporates and the material ‘goes off’.

This leads to loose material which is swept up as part of the finishing process before any road markings are replaced.

The summer 2020 programme will cover 69 sites in the borough, with work set to begin on August 17 and due to take up to eight weeks.

The full list of sites can be found here: https://www.darlington.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/highways/highway-schemes/

The process is weather dependent and residents in individual streets will be advised directly by the site team when work is due to start.

Councillor Andy Keir, cabinet member for local services, said: “This is a comprehensive programme of works to improve our residential streets. We will also be delivering an additional £1.2m of resurfacing works on top of our planned programme as a result of extra money from government to improve road conditions across the borough.

“Micro asphalt works to extend the life of the existing road surface and it is a cost effective way of treating roads that need attention before they reach a state where a full resurfacing job is required.

“The process is quick to apply but does require a couple of weeks of patience as the material hardens – I’d ask people to please bear with us, once the job is complete and the loose material is swept away they’ll see the improvements.”