How we maintain Lancashire’s roads

We maintain around 4,400 miles of roads, and over 9,000 miles of pavements in Lancashire. The funding we get is less than we would like, so we need to use it wisely.

Watch an animation about how we prioritise repairs

We respond to safety issues such as potholes throughout the year, however we aim to spend as much of our budget as possible on planned maintenance to prevent potholes appearing in the first place.

See our ongoing programme of improvements to roads and pavements

Prevention is better than cure

Much of the maintenance we carry out aims to prolong the life of our roads by fixing small cracks, and sealing the surface to stop water getting in. We use data from camera surveys identify the best time to do this, before more extensive repairs are needed. This is much more cost effective than completely replacing the surface.

You can find out more about this in our Transport and Asset Management Plan.

Surface dressing

Surface dressing is a cost-effective way of maintaining a road. It restores skidding resistance and seals the surface to stop water getting in. 

1. Hot bitumen is sprayed onto the road 

2. Chippings are then applied and rolled in 

3. The road is then swept to remove excessive chippings 

Micro surfacing

Micro surfacing is a type of surface treatment that is used to prolong the life of a road by 10 to 15 years. 

It is quicker, less noisy and cleaner than traditional resurfacing because it is not necessary to remove large volumes of existing carriageway surface. 

The micro surfacing process is as follows: 

1. First the road will be swept clean 

2. The surface will then be sprayed with a bitumen binder 

3. This will be followed by the application of a layer of stone chippings 

4. These chippings will be pressed into the bitumen binder by a road roller 

5. All lining, including disabled parking bay and H-bar markings, will be replaced 14 days after the work has been fully completed 

Resurfacing

When a road surface has reached the end of its life it has to be replaced.

The road will need to be partly or fully closed while it is being resurfaced. We will always provide advanced notice and put up signs showing the safest diversion route. 

Depending on the existing condition of the road, we will either: 

• remove the top layer, approximately 4cm thick, or  

• remove a further layer, which would be another 6cm thick 

When we have finished planing-off the old surface, we will: 

• often adjust the levels of the drains and inspection covers to improve the smoothness or drainage of the road

• clean the road with a special road sweeper, and 

• spray a bitumen emulsion over it which acts as a "glue" to bond the new tarmac to it 

The new tarmac is delivered in special insulated wagons and placed onto the road while still hot using a specialist tarmac laying machine, called a paver, that spreads the tarmac at a uniform width and thickness along the road. Then: 

• we roll the tarmac to compact it and provide a smooth even driving surface 

• leave it to cool for a while  

• reopen the road to traffic

Road markings are sometimes replaced before the road is reopened, although often this is done at a later date.