Surface dressing
Every Summer Cavan County Council carry out a surface dressing programme on the road networks, to many members of the public this is referred to as 'tarring' and is often perceived as a nuisance and an inconvenience due to the movement of plant, the considerable signage and the presence of loose chippings. However surface dressing is a necessary an essential part of the maintenance and preservation the road network. Surface dressing is the most cost effective method of maintaining the road network. It is the application by sprayer of a binder, hot bitumen, and stone chippings onto the existing road surface. Bitumen is a by product of the refinement of crude oil and is used to seal the road surface. The chippings, generally of limestone or the harder whinstone (depending on traffic volumes), are laid directly onto the hot bitumen and then rolled in. Surface dressing has three important functions. It seals the road surface and keeps water out of the base. It provides a new non-slip surface and it stops disintegration of old road surfaces. It is not only used for the maintenance of previously surfaced roads. It also provides a final wearing layer on new roads. Cavan County Council aim to resurface 10% of the entire road network every year and failure to surface dress can lead to failure of road structure in 8 to 15 years  With the ever increasing awareness of Health and Safety increased signage requirements, road closures and diversions are now part of the surface dressing operation. There is, of course, some inconvenience to road traffic but it is the intention to minimise impact on road users. Surface dressing is a relatively quick operation and is completed in a matter of hours.  However the first 24 hours is critical in terms of the success of surface dressing. Reduced speed limits not only prevent accidents but also improve the quality of the surface dressing itself.  Loose chippings should not be swept for at least for 2 days otherwise the surface dressing would fail. After the first two days depending on the category of road, loose chippings are removed at the earliest possible opportunity using road sweepers.  Surface dressing will always be seen as the most essential operation that any local authority can carry out in order to the road network