Ashfield road damaged by potholes improved thanks to 'micro asphalt' treatment

Micro asphalt creates a new long-lasting road surface, adding a new layer of surface to the road, repairing potholes and other defects – while preventing more from forming.

Hill Crescent in Sutton is among 18 in Ashfield and Mansfield which has been resurfaced with micro asphalt as part of the 2020/21 programme.

Coun John Cottee, chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s communities and place committee, said: “Micro asphalt is the ideal treatment on a lot of the county’s roads, particularly in urban areas, allowing us to prevent potholes and restore roads to a similar level to full resurfacing whilst benefiting from reduced waste, carbon emissions and vehicle movements, all at a lower cost.”

The council is working through an estimated maintenance backlog in excess of £140 million on Nottinghamshire’s roads.

However, the investment of an additional £24m of highways funding over the last three years and repairing the right roads – with the right treatment, at the right time, has seen more roads in the county benefiting from improved road surfaces.

Many roads have been given a new surface through a widespread programme of micro asphalt works which have been completed at 83 sites across the county.

Coun Cottee said: “Along with surface dressing it has allowed us to treat more than 90 roads in Nottinghamshire over the past year, significantly prolonging the life of each road and renewing the quality of the road surface. This is in addition to a further 64 roads and 23 pavements which have been fully resurfaced.

“At over three times the cost, using full resurfacing where micro asphalt is appropriate would only allow us to improve a fraction of the roads in Nottinghamshire, meaning others would deteriorate further and require more costly repairs in the future.

“We have a systematic programme of works to improve roads in the county and whilst we understand that the condition of some roads frustrates residents, resurfacing them all will take a number of years.

“We’re continuing to invest in Nottinghamshire’s highways and doing all we can, continually examining new ideas and technology to help us make repairs in even better, faster and more environmentally-friendly ways.”