With the warmer weather fast approaching, our contractor Fulton Hogan will begin to carry out the 2025/2026 Road Resurfacing Programme.

This years, critical maintenance work is scheduled to begin in early September and typically lasts until March. To ensure the safety of road users and the team working on site, roads that are receiving the resurfacing treatment will likely be closed to normal vehicular traffic while work is underway.

Good news! Since excavation isn’t needed for this work to take place, the road will only be closed for a limited amount of time. We do apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

If your street/road is on the resurfacing programme, you will receive a notice in your letterbox a week in advance to notify you. “No Parking” signs will be placed on the street the day before work begins to ensure the road is clear for the work to take place. Pedestrian access will be maintained, and the helpful team on site will guide you through the area when it is safe to do so.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation while we complete these important works!

Road Resurfacing FAQs:

Key Stats

• About 60% of Timaru District roads are sealed (about 993km)
• 95% of these are chipseal, and 5% are asphalt
• Approximately 6% of the road network gets resurfaced every year

What is resurfacing?

Resurfacing (sometimes referred to as resealing) is when a new layer of road surface is applied over the existing one rather than replacing the entire road.

What does resurfacing do?

Resurfacing is kind of like giving your house a new coat of paint to protect the weatherboard underneath. Adding the new layer of material will protect the road structure from moisture and help extend the life of the material. Like paint, the seal breaks down over time and starts to let water in and resurfacing (or resealing) is required again.

Why not just rebuild the road instead?

Rebuilding the road is when we dig out the road in its entirety (surface and base layers) and rebuild from the ground up - like fully removing and replacing the weatherboards on your house. Road rebuilding is much more expensive and isn’t a financially viable option each time a road needs waterproofing.

How often are roads resurfaced and what time of the year is it done?

Roads are typically resealed every 10 to 20 years as part of a regular maintenance cycle. Resurfacing work usually takes place during the warmer Spring and Summer months when weather conditions are most suitable.

After resurfacing, why is there loose chip left on the road?

After resurfacing, loose chip is sometimes left in place to help prevent tyres from removing the new surface layer. A sweeper truck will come to sweep up the extra chip near the end of the first week to finish the job.

Where we'll be this season: