HUNDREDS of miles of roads in rural North Yorkshire are being resurfaced in the county’s largest ever road improvements programme.

North Yorkshire County Council maintains 5000 miles of road in total - enough to stretch from England to Pakistan.

Over August, 400 miles of those roads have been surface dressed as the county council increases its budget for preventative roadworks, in order to cut the amount it has to spend filling pot holes and patching up damaged road surfaces. Surface dressing sees bitumen combined with chippings, and keeps the road surface water-tight for years.

The money to pay for the improvements has come in part from a £24 million grant from the Local Growth Fund, which is being shared with the East Riding.

York Press:

North Yorkshire’s highways boss Cllr Don Mackenzie said: “Our additional funding for roads is about vital support for economic growth, supporting business and keeping communities and the economy on the move.

“Surface dressing also helps to keep roads safe, improving skid resistance. In more urban, densely populated areas and on estate roads we are also now using a system called lock-chip, which binds the chippings to improve safety.

“In addition, we aim to complete this programme every year before autumn when the weather deteriorates. This minimises costs and improves the life of the material.”

The county council is now typically spending £65 million a year on road maintenance, significantly more than in the past. This year £12.7 million has gone on surface dressing - an increase of around £650,000 on last year and covering around five per cent more miles.

Many businesses in North Yorkshire are situated along minor rural roads, so the council says upkeep is vital to the success of trade.