SERVICE
Road Surfacing
Resurfacing is not just a new top layer. It’s a decision about how much of the existing road has failed, and how much of it has to come out before anything new goes down.
THE SERVICE
Planed back to sound material.
Rebuilt where it’s failed.
Most road surfacing jobs start by planing off the worn material to a set depth. That exposes what’s underneath, and what’s underneath is what decides the job. A surface that’s simply worn out needs replacing. A surface that’s cracking in a pattern, rutting under wheel tracks or holding water is usually telling you the layers below it have gone, and laying new tarmac over the top of that will fail in the same place within a season or two.
Once the planed surface is swept and checked, failed areas are dug out and rebuilt, ironwork is lifted so it can be reset to the finished level, and a bond coat is applied so the new material keys into what’s beneath it. Material goes down hot and gets compacted while it’s still hot, which is why the weather, the delivery distance and the size of the working area all affect the finish you get.
Choice of material is driven by what the road has to carry. Heavier and slower traffic, tight turning circles and standing loads all pull the specification in a different direction to a lightly used access road. Where skid resistance matters, at junctions, on approaches to crossings and on bends, the aggregate is chosen for it rather than left to chance.
DELIVERY STRUCTURE
How the work runs
- 01Survey the existing surface and agree the planing depth.
- 02Set out traffic management, closures or phasing so the site can keep working.
- 03Plane out the old surface and sweep clean.
- 04Dig out and rebuild any failed areas found once the surface is off.
- 05Lift ironwork, apply the bond coat, lay and compact the new material.
- 06Reset ironwork to the finished level and seal the joints and edges.
- 07Reinstate road markings once the surface has cooled and cured.
What affects the programme
Temperature and rain both matter, because material has to be laid and rolled inside a working window. Night and weekend working is common where the road cannot be closed in the day. Kerb lines, gullies and drainage falls have to be worked to, since a surface that looks perfect but ponds water is a failure that shows up the first time it rains hard.
Where we work
We’re based at Bilston Glen in Loanhead, so most of our road surfacing is in Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian. Recent jobs include Haymarket in Edinburgh, the A7 at Dalkeith, Shawfair, Gorebridge, Mayfield, Pathhead and East Calder, with work further out in Selkirk, Armadale and Airdrie. We also take on larger contracts across the rest of Scotland, England and Ireland.
QUESTIONS
Common questions.
How long does resurfaced tarmac take to be usable?
A surface can usually take traffic once it has cooled, often within a few hours of laying. Permanent road markings need longer, since the surface has to be fully cured and dry before thermoplastic will bond to it.
Can a road be resurfaced without closing it?
Often, yes, by working in phases or under lane closures. Full closures are quicker and safer where the layout allows. Which one applies is usually decided by the traffic using the road rather than by the surfacing itself.
What is the difference between resurfacing and an overlay?
Resurfacing removes the old material first, so the finished level stays the same and the new layer bonds to a sound surface. An overlay goes on top and raises the level, which affects kerb heights, ironwork and drainage falls, so it only suits certain sites.
Why does new tarmac sometimes fail early?
Almost always because the layers underneath had already failed and were not dealt with before laying, or because the material was laid in conditions too cold or wet to compact properly.
RELATED WORK
Surfacing on site.
On the map
Our road surfacing jobs.
View these 14 jobs as a list
Road Surfacing
A7 Sun Inn
Working with Midlothian Council to widen foot paths, resurface the main road and install new traffic lights and pedestrian crossings
View projectRoad Surfacing
Hillside Terrace, Selkirk
New junction civils and surfacing works
View projectRoad Surfacing
Standhill Farm
Surfacing works to roundabout
View projectRoad Surfacing
Shawfair
Carriageway and footway surfacing works
View projectRoad Surfacing
Stepends
Layby surfacing works
View projectRoad Surfacing
Mayfield Community Campus
Car park and footway surfacing works
View projectRoad Surfacing
East Calder PS Ph2
Primary school surfacing works
View projectRoad Surfacing
Murray Milk Farm
Surfacing to farm road
View projectRoad Surfacing
Haymarket Jctn
Civils, planing, surfacing and road markings
View projectRoad Surfacing
Nivensknowe Caravan Park
Surfacing the caravan park's access road
View projectRoad Surfacing
Midlothian Council Gorebridge Toll
Road planing, with a tipper truck taking the milled material
View projectRoad Surfacing
Edinburgh Trams Network
Surfacing works in the Edinburgh tram corridor, carried out alongside live infrastructure
View projectRoad Surfacing
City of Edinburgh Council: Cobble Relaying
Lifting, cleaning and relaying old cobbles for the City of Edinburgh Council
View projectRoad Surfacing
West Lothian Council: Road Surfacing
Night works at the A899 Houston Interchange: planing, resurfacing, line marking and Hapas joint repairs
View project