A multi-million pound programme is set to begin this spring to strengthen Oxfordshire’s highway network.
Eighty-seven roads across the county will undergo work through an £8 million surface dressing project being carried out by Oxfordshire County Council alongside M Group.
The aim is to tackle persistent maintenance requirements and prevent potholes from forming.
This initiative comes after a harsh winter that led to a surge in pothole complaints both nationally and locally.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member responsible for transport management, explained that the stretches of road in the best condition are those where potholes fail to emerge at all.
The improvement work will cover more than one million square metres of carriageway and will take place across 62 towns and villages throughout Oxfordshire.
These operations are scheduled to happen between April and June.
Mr Gant noted that Oxfordshire maintains some of the most intensively trafficked roads in the country, with 4.79 billion miles travelled in 2024.
Such high traffic volumes put significant strain on road surfaces. Dealing with potholes after they appear is expensive and inefficient.
Preventive maintenance such as surface dressing provides far greater value and stops potholes from developing in the first place.
Surface dressing consists of applying a bituminous binder to the road surface, followed by aggregate chips that bond to this layer.
This method seals the surface to prevent water from entering, improves grip for vehicles, and lengthens the road’s serviceable lifespan.
Richard Lovewell, business director at M Group, said that surface dressing is the most cost-effective and efficient approach for prolonging road life.
It stops water from seeping through, enhances skid resistance, and ultimately protects the carriageway from future pothole damage.
The company is proud to support the council in delivering this forward-looking investment in Oxfordshire’s road network.
The council is urging motorists to watch for announcements about the works and to take care on recently treated road sections.
Driving too quickly can dislodge loose chips, creating dangers such as paint damage, broken windscreens, or reduced tyre grip.
A temporary 20mph advisory speed limit will remain until all warning signs have been removed.
Surface dressing can extend a road’s useful life by as much as ten years and is widely regarded as highly economical.
It also causes little inconvenience, with areas of up to 100,000 square metres capable of being treated within one day.
Last year, Oxfordshire County Council repaired more than 1.4 million square metres of carriageway through resurfacing and preventive measures.
The work depends on appropriate weather conditions and cannot be carried out when it is raining.
The council intends to launch the programme at the earliest opportunity in spring to allow for possible delays caused by wet weather.
Additional information about which roads will be affected and a map of the areas involved will be published on the Oxfordshire County Council website.