Orkney Islands Council has announced work is to commence today, 01 July, on the annual surface dressing road works.

This year's programme will see 14 stretches of road totalling around 24kms being surface dressed, across eight different areas - Birsay, Sandwick, Harray, Orphir, Kirkwall, South Ronaldsay, St Andrews and Stromness.

Roads will be closed to all traffic while surface dressing is underway unless advised otherwise. This is to allow the team to carry out the work seamlessly and reopen as quickly as possible for the public.

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Work sites will re-open overnight and at weekends, unless otherwise stated.

The list of roads included in this year's programme with indicative dates, and an interactive map where you can zoom in on the planned roadworks, can be found at: www.orkney.gov.uk/roads.

Weather dependent, the programme is expected to be completed by early August. This will be followed by a period of sweeping and line marking throughout August, starting with safety lining at treated junctions, followed by centre line marking later in the summer.

Advisory 20mph speed limits will also be in place following treatment, so all traffic should allow extra time for journeys. Slower traffic speeds help bed in the chips and produce a longer lasting result. Drivers should also be mindful there may be loose chips on the road surface and risk of skidding.