Forty Horsham Rural City Council roads are set to be upgraded using an innovative maintenance technique called microsurfacing.
At its meeting this week, Council awarded a contract to Downer EDI to complete the work across the next five years.
Microsurfacing uses specialised machinery to add a new layer of surface to seal and protect local roads. It is a cost-effective treatment for roads that are worn but haven’t deteriorated enough to require full reconstruction, Council said in a statement.
The treatment is laid over the top of the old surface and helps preserve the road as well as filling in shallow cracks and holes.
Council CEO, Sunil Bhalla said microsurfacing was an emerging maintenance technique for sealed roads.
“It is expected to deliver significant savings in our road renewal program by extending the lives of roads and delaying the need for a full reconstruction,” Mr Bhalla said.
“By just using a bitumen product we save on having to source quarry products that would be used in traditional asphalt.
“Because it’s applied at ambient temperature it has relatively low energy consumption which means reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
“Other benefits are that it’s quicker to complete than traditional methods so there’s less disruption to the public, it leaves a nice smooth uniform surface which looks great, and it also increases the grip of the road which improves safety,” he said.
