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Traffic and Travel

Wokingham Borough Connect

Road closure extended after heavy rain

Part of Easthampstead Road in Wokingham, between Waterloo Road and Heathlands Road, will now be shut until next Saturday (8 February) at the latest.

Our partners at Balfour Beatty are clearing hedges on both sides so they can get set up to build the South Wokingham Distributor Road.

It was set to reopen this Saturday but this has been delayed by heavy rain, which caused flooding in that area and slowed work down.

As a result, the two-way traffic lights on Heathlands Road have been delayed and will now be in place from 10 to 22 February to allow for the construction of a new site access.

A diversion remains in place for vehicles, and there's still access on both sides of the railway, but only pedestrians can use the level crossing. 

Businesses remain open and can be accessed as usual.

We considered alternatives, like returning in the half-term holidays, but this would have conflicted with scheduled works on London Road.

We're sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause, and hope you will appreciate that these circumstances are beyond our control.

We'll do our best to reopen the road before next Saturday, which may be possible as the weather forecast is more favourable.

Keep an eye on all disruption across the borough using our live map.

Looking ahead to what's coming next

We're still working with Balfour Beatty to finalise our works programme and we'll share this with everyone as soon as we can.

Main works on the South Wokingham Distributor Road will begin in the spring, but no significant disruption is expected until later in the year.

From the summer onwards, we're expecting closures at the junction of Molly Millars Lane and Finchampstead Road, and we're also expecting further closures on the same section of Easthampstead Road from the winter.

We know this will be disruptive but we'll be working closely with residents and businesses closest to the planned works and will share the timetable with the wider community within the next few weeks.

We'll keep sharing updates in this newsletter, but don't forget you can get more detailed news by signing up to our South Wokingham newsletter.

Bus route set to add more journeys after feedback

We're expecting to agree an increase in frequency for bus route 3 between Wokingham town and Barkham, Finchampstead and Arborfield.

This evening, our decision-making executive is set to agree to tender a contract for the route, increasing it to every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays.

The service is hourly and people tell us that this limits their options for getting to work or school, enjoying leisure time or seeing family and friends.

We're keen to support this so everyone has access to healthy, convenient and affordable alternatives to driving.

Reading Buses already runs the 3 more frequently between Arborfield and Reading, on a commercial basis, so our proposal would complement that.

The contract, which could start from May, would be funded by contributions from developers building new homes in the area.

It would run for two years initially with scope for two further one-year extensions.

Services improving across the borough

As we've previously reported, this follows several improvements to bus services across Wokingham Borough:

• Reading Buses has increased the frequency of the 4/4a route...
• ...and kept selected fares below the national cap
• The RailAir coach to Heathrow now runs from Winnersh Triangle
• Shelters are being improved and upgraded at several locations
• Disability bus passes now allow free travel locally at any time

User numbers are improving after the pandemic, but please keep supporting our buses - the more passengers they get, the more improvements can be made.

We're doing all we can to support this in partnership with local operators through our Bus Service Improvement Plan.

Latest M4 closures as junction repairs continue

Further disruption is expected on the M4 due to ongoing repairs at the Junction 12 interchange near Theale.

A full weekend closure is expected on the east side of the junction, including the eastbound slip road to the motorway, from 9pm next Friday (7 February) to 6am on Monday 10 February.

Overnight closures from 9am to 6am are also ongoing on the east side of the junction, including the eastbound slip road to the motorway.

These run every night until next Friday, and then from Monday to Saturday only between Monday 10 February and Saturday 15 March.

Diversions will be in place during the closure periods, and the east side of the junction remains reduced to two lanes until Saturday 15 March.

Shedding light on how we fix faults

You can report street lighting faults using our mapping system, in the same way as any other issues on our roads and footways.

We send engineers to inspect these as soon as possible, and they can usually fix the problem on the spot.

However, sometimes we have to get others involved – for example, Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) may need to restore power. 

Once we’ve handed over to SSEN, we can’t give any updates unless they let us know how they’re doing.

They aim to get lights back on within 25 working days for one light, or 20 working days for a group of lights, but they can’t always meet this.

We liaise with utility companies, especially when deadlines are missed, and do our best to share the latest information with you.

Don't forget - our My Journey Wokingham team has a series of affordable bike maintenance courses coming up to help you stay safe and mobile.

There's also the regular Balance Bike Club and Learn to Ride courses for children, as well as free Dr Bike checks which need to be booked in advance.

Upcoming roadworks

Hurst

Road closure - A321 Wokingham Road

BT will be working on A321 Wokingham Road, Hurst. The road will be closed between Pound Lane and Islandstone Lane for a pole test on 9 February, between 9.30am and 3.30pm. See this on a map

Shinfield

Twyford

Multi-way lights - A321 Hurst Road

Thames Water will be carrying out works on A321 Hurst Road, Twyford. Multi-way lights will be in place at the junction of Broadwater Road for a valve exchange. These works will take place from 3 to 5 February. See this on a map

We will be carrying out works on Tipping Lane, Woodley. Multi-way traffic lights will be in place between Headley Road East and Church Road for footway improvements. These works will take place from 3 to 7 February, between 9.30am and 3.30pm. See this on a map

Multi-way lights - Headley Road East

On Headley Road East, Woodley, Thames Water will be replacing a cover at the junction of Gemini Road. Multi-way lights will be in place from 4 to 6 February, between 7pm and 6am. See this on a map

Keeping up to date

• For planned and emergency roadworks, follow us on Facebook
• To find out about roadworks near you, visit our interactive map
• For active and sustainable travel, visit MyJourney Wokingham 
• Visit our major new roads page for plans and updates
• Find out more about re-surfacing and repairs including potholes
• Report any issues with roads and streets online - including street lights, problems with traffic lights, potholes, damaged street furniture, problems with road markings and removal of dead animals 
• Find out more about parking and permits including car park locations and costs, resident permits, park and ride services and appealing a parking fine
• Our transport and travel page includes applying for a senior citizen's or disabled person's bus and train pass, as well as public transport information
• The blue parking badges page has information on applying for, using, replacing and returning your blue badge