Surface dressing
Surface dressing is an important part of our road maintenance programme and is used to prolong the life of roads across the county.
Across 2024/25 and 2025/26, £6.16 million was invested in a surface dressing preparation programme across the county's road network.
In 2026/27, a further investment will be made to develop this programme.
View list of proposed locations included in the surface dressing programme
Surface dressing involves applying a layer of bitumen binder to the existing road surface followed by a layer of stone chippings. The chippings are then rolled into the binder to create a durable and skid-resistant surface. This process helps to seal the road surface, preventing water from penetrating and causing damage to the underlying layers. This also helps to prevent potholes from forming.
Read more about the surface dressing process.
Surface dressing is a preventative maintenance treatment that is best used before the road condition deteriorates significantly and to keep the roads in a good condition for longer. Typically it prolongs the life of the road for 10-15 years and it can be redressed in the future.
Resurfacing
Resurfacing is an extensive method which is used on roads that are near the end of their life or where there may be structural issues that cannot be remedied with surface dressing.
Across 2024/25 and 2025/26, the council invested £20 million into resurfacing parts of the county's highway network, with £15 million being committed to A and B roads and a further £5 million for the C and unclassified road networks.
In 2026/27, the council will be delivering further investments towards resurfacing across the county.
Lengths of road have been identified for resurfacing works following detailed and comprehensive surface and structural condition surveys. These surveys help us to objectively prioritise where we need to invest across Herefordshire's highway network.
View list of proposed locations included in the resurfacing programme
Resurfacing is where the existing road surface is completely removed, remedial works are carried out to the structural layers of the road and then a new road surface is laid.
This method can extend the life of the road for 15-25 years depending on materials. However, it is more costly.
You can keep up to date with road information on our roadworks map.
Map showing our completed and upcoming resurfacing and surface dressing schemes
