Multi-million pound summer highways improvement programme hits the road
Work to improve 75 roads across Rochdale borough is set to start soon, with the council’s micro-asphalt programme getting under way in the next few weeks.
More than 12 miles of roads across the Heywood, Middleton, Rochdale and Pennines areas will be treated as part of the programme.
Roads that will be treated include a section of Bowness Road in Middleton, Shawclough Way in Healey, Nowell Road in Heywood, Rakewood Road in Littleborough, and Mere Street in Rochdale.
The work forms part of wider £4 million investment into the borough’s highways network this year, which also includes a number of other projects, including the resurfacing of a large section of Bury Road, major improvements to Michael Faraday Avenue and improvements to the drainage in Overtown Lane in Norden.
Major projects, such as the refurbishment of Queen’s Park Bridge in Heywood and the creation of a new pedestrian crossing on St Mary’s Gate, Rochdale, are funded separately, so the total investment into the borough’s roads will substantially top the £4 million figure.
The investment is also in addition to smaller scale repairs, covering things like potholes, which are funded separately to enable the service to deal with them quickly.
Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said:
“Each year we invest millions of pounds into our highways network to keep the roads in good condition and build on the additional investment we’ve ploughed in over recent years.
“The summer micro-asphalt programme is an intensive project which sees us target a large number of roads during the optimum time when the weather is good, so that by autumn, our road network will be in better condition as part of our continual improvement drive. We would like to advise motorists that the new road surface takes a few days to bed in, so it won’t look or feel perfect straight away.”
Micro-asphalt is a surface treatment to boost the condition of the road and extend its life. It provides a smoother, safer surface with improved skid resistance.
The micro-asphalt works are scheduled to start on Monday, 5 August 2024 and are scheduled to be completed in early October 2024. All homes in the areas set to be targeted will receive a letter in advance of the works starting.
