 Work resumes on major road to serve new community
We're starting work on the final remaining sections of the South Wokingham Distributor Road, which will provide access to new housing and other amenities that are set to be built in this area.
Our partners at Balfour Beatty will be clearing trees and hedges along the route, which runs from the roundabout between the railway bridges on Finchampstead Road and the roundabout at the junction of Waterloo Road and William Heelas Way.
They'll be creating new site entrances off Easthampstead Road and Heathlands Road, as well as a crossing point for machinery.
This involves temporary closures and diversions on Easthampstead Road, as well as some lane closures with temporary traffic lights, from next Monday (20 January).
Temporary fencing will be put up around the works site and along footpaths to keep the public safe. Some footpaths will be closed or diverted, but pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.
These enabling works will allow main construction to begin in the spring, which will involve further road closures at times. We'll publish more about this very soon.
 Initial disruption - temporary closure of Easthampstead Road
A section of Easthampstead Road, between Waterloo Road and Heathlands Road, will be closed for two weeks from Monday, 20 January.
This is to create site entrances, clear vegetation and install safety fencing and a crossing point for machinery. This will be controlled by two-way temporary traffic lights, with motorists given priority during busy periods.
Balfour Beatty's crews will also dig exploratory holes to map the location of underground utility pipes and cables. This ensures they aren’t damaged during the works and can reduce the need to divert them.
Residents and business owners will have access from either side of the level crossing near Star Lane, but there'll be no vehicle access across the railway.
A signed diversion route will be available for vehicles and pedestrian access will be maintained, including across the level crossing.
The diversion route will be as follows:
• Northbound: Old Wokingham Road, Waterloo Road, William Heelas Way, London Road (A329) and Peach Street (A329)
• Southbound: Peach Street (A329), Broad Street (A329), Rectory Road (A329), Wiltshire Road (A329), London Road (A329), William Heelas Way, Waterloo Road and Old Wokingham Road
Minor disruption on other roads and footways
A small section of Heathlands Road, immediately south of the Easthampstead Road junction, will have temporary traffic lights on the northbound lane for two weeks from Monday 3 February, again to allow the creation of a site entrance.
Finally, a section of footway on Molly Millars Lane and Finchampstead Road will be diverted for five days from Monday 27 January to allow improvements to start on this junction. Pedestrians will still have access at all times.
This new road is part of our long-term plan to ensure our borough grows in a healthy, sustainable way. You can find out more about the South Wokingham major development on our website - and we'll be taking a closer look at the background, and the benefits, in a future edition of this newsletter.
 Above: Buckhurst Meadows nature park, which was provided alongside previous phases of this new road
Providing greener surroundings in the long run
Although we'll be clearing vegetation for the road, including some overnight work at the Finchampstead Road end, this will eventually be offset with more new tree and hedge planting than before it was built.
Major schemes like this are legally required to increase the number of wildlife habitats in their area, and our measures will include a large new nature park to the west of Easthampstead Road, near the junction with Heathlands Road.
Balfour Beatty will be installing two large drainage ponds at this location in early 2025. Further planting and landscaping will be carried out later by developers building new homes in the area, as part of their planning obligations.
There'll also be extensive planting along the length of the road, including on embankments and verges, using native trees to match its surroundings. We'll share our landscaping design as soon as the final detail are agreed.
 Above: William Heelas Way, part of the road which is already completed to serve the Montague Park community
Looking further ahead - the next steps
Main works on the new road will start in early 2025, with closures and diversions expected at the junction of Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane for about 12 months from the spring.
A section of Easthampstead Road, between the railway line and Heathlands Road, will also close in late 2025 and reopen in 2026.
We'll publish a full summary of the programme, including timeframes for any expected disruption, as soon as possible. Any works which could affect your journeys will be publicised in this newsletter to help you can plan ahead.
You can also keep up with all disruption across the borough by looking at the interactive highways map on our website.
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