MALVERN roads are among 200 in the county set for improvement works throughout the summer, following damaging winter months which were the wettest on record.
The £3.5million Worcestershire County Council project began on Monday (April 28) and will see 1.2million square metres of highway resurfaced by the time it is completed at the end of August.
Works in Malvern, Upton and Callow End are scheduled to take place between May 14 and May 20, and include major routes including Worcester Road, Pickersleigh Road and Upton Road.
The council has invested £50million in repairing and restoring the county road network since 2011 and the latest works, which involve coating the roads with Bitumen before laying loose chippings, are claimed to be ten times cheaper than alternative methods.
Motorists have also been reassured the process is quick meaning minimum disruption to their journeys.
The council also claims the works will help prevent possible potholes forming in the future.
Coun John Smith OBE, who is responsible for highways, said: “Surface dressing allows us to catch roads half-way through their lifespan and extend them.
“It’s an excellent preventative maintenance measure that offers good value for the taxpayer, which has been used to successfully improve hundreds of miles of highway in Worcestershire over the last few years. One of the big advantages of this method is that it can be done quickly thus cutting down on road or lane closures that cause inconvenience to motorists.
“We know from residents and businesses that improving our highways is a priority. Over the last few years we have invested more than £50million in projects like this and the situation has improved but we are committed to continuing efforts.
“This winter was the wettest on record and, inevitably, that has meant that some of our roads have suffered. Our teams have been working hard to fix problems and I’d ask anyone that spots an issue to get in touch and report it online.”
Worcestershire County Council can now bid for a share of £168million set aside by the Government to repair weather battered roads.
Malvern MP Harriett Baldwin welcomed the extra funds.
“There is already a comprehensive programme of road repairs being carried out and this extra money will help the county council make additional inroads to the problem and I hope they will put a bid in soon.”
Residents can visit www.worcestershire.gove.uk/reportit from a smart phone, tablet or computer to report road surface related problems.
