Work on twenty five highway resurfacing schemes to improve roads across Bath & North East Somerset is to get under way.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has set out its annual highway resurfacing programme for 2023-24. The programme details twenty five planned schemes to be carried out between March and September of this year, alongside a district wide surface dressing programme.   

The council is investing almost £8million in its highway assets over 2023-24, with £3.7million being spent on its annual resurfacing programme. The remaining investment will fund improvements to highway structures, footways, street lighting, drainage and planned patching works.

Approximately 75,258m2 of highway, the equivalent of 385 tennis courts, will be resurfaced as part of the programme, including High Street in East Harptree, the A37/A386 Chelwood Roundabout and St Ladoc Road in Keynsham. The full programme can be seen on the council’s website.

Surveys and inspections carried out by the council’s highways team, along with reports made by residents, help identify and prioritise highways that need to be resurfaced and help form the programme each year.

The first scheme in the programme is scheduled to begin in March at Eastfield Avenue, where resurfacing works will be completed after drainage improvement works to the highway are complete.

The overall programme should be completed in September, before cold and wet weather makes resurfacing works more difficult.

The council will be implementing Section 58 restrictions to each of the newly resurfaced highways which, under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, allows them to protect a road from any planned street works following any major surfacing works for a period of up to five years. Emergency works can still take place. These notices can be seen here.

Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport said: “Our annual resurfacing programme is essential in maintaining our highway network. We’re glad we have been able to protect these newly resurfaced highways through Section 58 notices, keeping them at a high standard for residents and preventing street works on them for the next three years.

“As always, we will work to minimise disruption at each scheme, and keep residents informed throughout.

The council will look to minimise disruption to the local traffic network by avoiding work to key routes at peak times of year, working overnight when required, notifying residents before work beings in their area and placing advanced warning signs in areas where work is due to happen. All roadworks and their details can be seen on the One.Network website.

Throughout the year Bath and North East Somerset Council will work with its contractor VolkerHighways to safely deliver the schemes to a high standard.

Last year’s resurfacing programme delivered resurfacing works to 26 highways, including the A4 through Saltford, Churchill Gyratory in Bath, Wellsway in Keynsham and A368 at Chelwood.