2019 Wokingham Road Maintenance Announced

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This year Wokingham Borough Council’s annual road maintenance campaign is bigger than ever. The council secured a significant piece of the government’s potholes fund meaning more of the borough’s roads can be resurfaced, retreated or redressed.

118 Roads

Officers from the council’s highways team have been surveying road conditions and have identified 118 roads that are most in need of improvement. In total, this represents more than 300,000 sqm of highways where an estimated £2.6million will be spent on enhancements.

Work will begin shortly and will be completed by early November, meaning residents can expect an improved road network before the winter weather sets in.

“We are pleased to be investing in and improving our road network,” said Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport. “These have been programmed to minimise disruption to our residents as much as possible. We thank you for your patience while we do all we can to maintain our highway network to ensure road users are safe and their journeys are smooth.

“Rather than allocating maintenance on a ward-by-ward or regional basis, the roads which need the most attention are being prioritised, thanks to comprehensive surveying of all of the boroughs roads by our highways teams. We have worked hard to secure the money we needed to ensure that our roads get the treatment required. Some of this work has been funded directly by government, which means some smaller residential roads are being repaired as well as the crucial maintenance work we are doing on our main roads.”

12 Locations

Almost 100,000 sqm of surface dressing work will carried out across 14 locations. This adds protection to the carriageway surface, sealing it from water while also enhancing its skid resistance and will extend the life of the carriageway surface by up to 10 years.

This work, primarily on A roads and other busy streets, will take place in early September This work will be restricted to off-peak daytime hours, between 9.30am and 4pm, to minimise disruption.

Resurfacing work will take place on 18 different streets, with almost 35,000 sqm being given this more extensive treatment. This involves removing layers of a worn out road surface and replacing it with new material.

These vital works will mostly take place overnight, from 8pm to 6am, or off-peak during the day, from 9.30am to 4pm, to reduce disruption – running from early September to early November.

80 Streets

More than 80 streets, which are mostly residential, will see micro asphalt surface treatments take place. It will include work around schools, with all this planned during the October half-term to minimise disruption.

The micro asphalt surface treatment, planned from mid-September to early November, is a preventative maintenance treatment, used to seal the existing road surface, improve the texture and help water evaporate.

This type of surface treatment will prolong the life of a road by up to ten years. It is mostly used in residential areas where there is slower moving traffic.

Some of this work will also take place once weather conditions begin to improve again in March. This will only apply to work on residential streets and should not cause any major disruption.