Council unveils new Roadmaster

Press release - 20 September 2007

A new pothole and surface dressing machine ‘Roadmaster’ is to be demonstrated to council members this afternoon (Thursday 20 September).

Shropshire County Council and their contractors, JDM Accord, have recently bought two new machines to enable a more economic way of repairing and maintaining the county’s roads.

Roadmaster uses compressed air to blow any water or dirt out of a pothole or a section of road that needs repairing. The pothole is then filled with a mixture of hot bitumen and chippings. The repair is compacted by a roller on the machine before being sealed with a layer of surface dressing. Finally the machine can either sweep or blow away any excess chippings.

The machine, operated by one person, can lay up to 14 tonnes of material a day, compared with the two to three tonnes laid by a conventional two man pothole gang.

Temporary repairs made by the machine can last up to three years which is considerably longer than ordinary potholing repairs.

John Everall, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for environment, said: “These new machines have been purchased following an extremely successful trial last year. They are both economical and produce excellent results. I look forward to seeing them on the county’s roads.”

Ends

For further information, call Chris Edwards, Head of Network Management on (01743) 253178.
For media contact, call Laura Owen, Communications Officer, Economy & Environment on (01743) 253318.