HIGHWAY engineers are about to start a two week whistlestop programme of 26 schemes costing £250,000 designed to improve and maintain Fenland roads. More than 20 miles of roads are due to be surface dressed across the district by Cambridgeshire County Cou

HIGHWAY engineers are about to start a two week whistlestop programme of 26 schemes costing £250,000 designed to improve and maintain Fenland roads.

More than 20 miles of roads are due to be surface dressed across the district by Cambridgeshire County Council to improve road safety and keep them in a good state of repair.

Surface dressing, using a thin film of bitumen with chippings rolled into it, is a very cost effective way to improve skid resistance and seal the road surface to prevent deterioration, especially on the more minor roads.

Surface dressing costs about 20% of conventional asphalt resurfacing, enabling a far greater length of road to be treated from within the available financial resources.

Highway chiefs are asking motorists and other road users to drive carefully while and after the works have been carried out. Drivers are warned there may be some temporary road closures and the use of traffic lights and stop/ go boards. Some work will be carried out on Sundays. Any diversions will be signed and work will be dependent on weather conditions.

Charlie Bedford, Highway Supervisor for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "Surface dressing is a good and effective way of maintaining the highway and improving road safety.

"With 26 separate schemes to be completed in two weeks there should be schemes being carried out in most areas of Fenland. We apologise for any delays that this work may cause and ask motorists and other road users to take extra care.

"I would like to ask motorists to drive very carefully and slow down when using newly resurfaced roads."

Surface dressing will be carried out soon on:

- Cock Bank extension, Whittlesey.

- Burnthouse sidings, Whittlesey.

- West Fen Drove, Whittlesey.

- Randalls Drove, Whittlesey.

- B1040 Ramsey Road, Whittlesey.

- C85 Forty Foot Bank, Benwick - from Ibbersons to Puddock Bridge.

- C81 Byall Fen, Manea - from Honey Hill Farm to Purls Bridge Road.

- B1093 Boots Road, Manea - from Lawrence Bridge Farm to west of Plantation Farm.

- B1093 Station Road, Manea - from Boots Road to Fodder Fen.

- Middle Broad Drove, Tydd St Giles.

- Broad Drove, East - Tydd St Giles.

- Black Dike, Tydd St Giles.

- Mile Tree Lane, Wisbech.

- Lords Lane, Wisbech.

- A1101 Sutton Road, Leverington - from Parson Drove Lane to Little Ramper.

- B1098 Sixteen Foot Road, Christchurch - from Cottons Corner Bridge to Black Sluice Bridge on Norfolk CC boundary.

- A1101, Elm - from Stags Holt junction towards Coldham and from Coldham to Redmoor Bank.

- Jew House Drove, Friday Bridge.

- Crooked Bank, Wisbech.

- C31 Redmoor Lane, Wisbech - from level crossing to A47 roundabout.

Ellingham Avenue, Chestnut Crescent, Sycamore Close, Shaw Drive, Almond Drive, Willow Drive, March.

- Badgeney Road, March - from level crossing to South Drive.

- B1101, Elm Road, March - from station level crossing to Estover Road.

- Norwood Road - from Elm Road to Hundred Road.

- Silt Road, March.

- Whittlesey Road, March - from A141 to School Farm.