A MULTI-MILLION pound road re-surfacing project is officially complete.

Cumbria County Council's Highways Service has carried out its £4 million package of projects, with 98 individual tasks seeing 100 miles of road improved through surfacing works.

The project, covering the equivalent of one million spare metres of road surface, has been completed on schedule despite challenges faced during the pandemic, with strict measures in place while the work was being carried out.

With almost 5,000 miles of highways to maintain across Cumbria, it is vital to the county council that roads are maintained via treatments such as surface dressing, which prolongs the life of the road without the need for expensive solutions.

The treatment works by sealing the road, preventing the deterioration of the surface and delaying the development of potholes.

It also helps to waterproof the structural layers of the road, and improves resistance against the freeze-thaw weather cycle.

The total cost of the works includes; £654,000 being spent on Allerdale roads, £502,000 in Copeland, and £730,000 in Carlisle.

A further £936,000 was spent on Eden surfacing works, £943,000 in South Lakeland, and £237,000 in Barrow.

Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for Highways, said: “This essential package of road maintenance works has improved almost 100 sections of routes across the county, making journeys much smoother for drivers and extending the life of the road.

“We understand the importance of the road network in Cumbria and the surface dressing works were coordinated to minimise disruption and delays, whilst also working through the challenges presented by Covid-19.

“I’d like to thank the local communities and drivers for their patience and understanding during periods of congestion as our teams delivered this package of works, worth £4 million.

"I’d also like to thank the teams and engineers involved in the works for their hard work, often in challenging conditions.”