No matter how well a road is constructed, it will eventually break down. If the road was poorly built, it will tend to look and feel worse in less time. Using surface dressing can extend the life of the road by over a decade, as well as making it more secure to drive on.
How do you know if your road needs surface dressing? Here are some signs that you should consider this service.
If the road feels slick when you drive on it, particularly after rain, it’s a sign you need to resurface it. The surface dressing will help waterproof the road and will increase traction as you drive on it. Any road that has become slippery should be surface dressed. This will give it extra traction for driving safely. Remember that once the surfacing has been done, you’ll need to keep your speed down while driving on the road until the stone chips have set properly into the bitumen.
Cracks in a road can be dangerous, as they allow water to penetrate. Once the water has trickled into the road, it may freeze in the winter months and expand, causing even more damage. If you notice cracks starting to form, it’s time for surface dressing. The surface dressing will prevent water from seeping through the cracks and will keep it from being ruined by the ice that can form.
Continuous traffic will wear the surface of the road down until it is uneven in places. You may notice that there are small areas where the bitumen seems to have been removed, or there may be undulations in the surface. When you use surface dressing on the road, these dips and divots will be smoothed out. This is a good method of eliminating minor surface issues, but if you are dealing with potholes, where the holes have dipped further down and formed actual holes, these need to be fixed before the dressing. Roads can often last for decades and you can extend that life with surface dressing. It prevents the destruction of the road and prevents environmental damage, as well as traffic damage. The road will be safer for driving on after the surface dressing, as well. It’s a lower-cost option for redoing the road.
Are you seeing signs that you need surface dressing for your road? Hazell & Jefferies can help by providing surface dressing for the road, making it safer and easier to drive on.
