 Big milestone for Woodley works coming at weekend
We're still set to finish our first phase of works on Woodlands Avenue in Woodley, as part of our active travel route to Palmer Park, on Saturday (22 August).
From here, we'll be moving straight to the western end of Woodlands Avenue, where we'll be working under a closure and diversion at the Church Road junction.
We'll be working here until Friday 4 September, then working north of that junction on Church Road from Saturday 5 September to Saturday 19 September.
After that, we'll be working on Culver Lane in Earley from Saturday 3 October until Monday 16 November. These works will also require closures and diversions.
This scheme supports our long-term efforts to improve walking and cycling provision across the borough. It's funded by the Government via Active Travel England.
We're expecting to finish all works by the end of this year.
 More signs to go up, but know the rules
As we've previously explained, motorists can still turn onto and off Woodlands Avenue where side roads are now crossed by a raised continuous footway.
However, they should slow on approach and prepare to give way to pedestrians or cyclists who are crossing or waiting to cross.
We're going to put up temporary signs to make this clear, but this priority applies at all side junctions under changes to the Highway Code in 2022.
This is to make getting around sustainably a more safe and attractive option.
We're seeking your views on several traffic management issues, including changes to off-street parking, experimental parking restrictions on Woodlands Avenue in Woodley and a weight limit on Sandford Lane near Woodley.
 Successful steps in station parking improvements
We've worked with Great Western Railway (GWR) to improve access to Twyford station, with further improvements still under discussion.
The station now has six dedicated pick-up and drop-off spaces with a 20-minute wait time, as well as a new bus stand on Station Road.
The main car park has been relined to increase capacity and drivers can now use the permit holders' car park after 10am with an off-peak ticket.
This follows a customer survey that highlighted demand for better pick-up and drop-off facilities, improved bus connections and more parking.
We're also reviewing opportunities to improve bus services to the station as part of our retendering process, which will see greater investment across the borough.
Meanwhile, GWR has designed a car park expansion to create 50 more spaces and is now working to secure funding from the Department for Transport.
The latest improvements follow a significant upgrade to the station building itself, which were carried out in partnership with Twyford Parish Council and others.
South Western Railway are cracking down on people abusing loopholes to pay a lower fare than they should. Fare evasion is unfair on the majority of honest customers and reduces how much money can be invested in services.
 Major change in pipeline for Barkham water works
As part of the ongoing upgrade of mains pipes in the Arborfield area, Thames Water are set to reopen Bearwood Road in Barkham on Monday 14 September.
On the same day, they'll be starting a road closure on Barkham Road between the Bearwood Road and Barkham Street roundabouts.
This phase is expected to run until Friday 13 November. Further phases are set to follow on Barkham Road, also with closures and diversions, until late June 2027.
You can see the full programme on Thames Water's website. During the first phase on Barkham Road, Reading Buses' Leopard 3 service will be on diversion.
Thanks for your patience while these essential improvements are carried out, and we'll keep you posted as things move forward.
Temporary lights to go up before closure shifts
Thames Water's teams have almost worked towards the Barkham Road junction and roundabout at the southern end of Bearwood Road.
From Tuesday 1 September until Saturday 12 September, they'll be working on the roundabout with two-way temporary traffic lights in place.
The Leopard 3 bus will continue to run as normal during this period.
Young people (5 to 15) travel free on this bus this month under a Government offer. A £3 cap still applies to adult single bus fares nationally, which is also supported by the Government and will drop to £2 next year.
 Above: footways can be sealed with a protective slurry to improve grip and preserve their condition
Wrapping up several stages of annual maintenance
As part of our annual network maintenance programme, we've finished all our planned sealing works on footways for the year.
We've added a protective layer, also known as slurry, at more than 20 sites. This fills small cracks, stops water damage and makes the surface easier to grip.
We've also completed all our surface dressings, where we press thin layers of bitumen and stone chippings into a road to extend its useful life.
This saves money for fuller resurfacing, which is a more costly treatment so we carry it out where it's needed most.
Our resurfacing programme is still under way, with most scheduled treatments for 2026/7 due to be completed over the coming month.
 Above (click to enlarge): roads can be smoothed after extensive use, and retexturing can reverse this
New repair technique being rolled out in borough
Throughout September we'll be trialling a new treatment called retexturing, which is another cost-effective way to extend a road's usable life.
This is where we blast a surface with water or metal abrasive to make it rougher, which means it's easier for tyres to grip.
It's useful when roads get too smooth and "fatted", where the bitumen rises above the little bits of stone embedded inside.
It uses far less carbon than other treatments as no new materials are laid down, and is well established in other parts of the country.
Like all councils, our finances are limited and we have to use our resources sensibly, while finding innovative ways to make them safely go further.
You can see a list of which streets are being treated on which dates, but this is subject to change as many treatments depend on the weather. Make sure you keep checking back as the date for your street gets near.
 Upcoming roadworks
We think these works will be the most disruptive, but you can see a list of all upcoming works in your area or browse our interactive map.
Finchampstead
Temporary lights - B3016 Longwater Road
Thu 27 to Sat 29 August, 7am to 6.30pm daily
There'll be temporary lights near the new development in this area while South East Water install a new service connection.
Swallowfield
Road closure - A33 Swallowfield bypass
Fri 28 and Sat 29 August, 8pm to 6am overnight
We're closing the road overnight between Basingstoke Road and the Hampshire borough boundary for resurfacing (see above) and related works.
Wokingham
Temporary lights - B3349 Barkham Road
Mon 24 August to Tue 1 September, 7am to 7pm daily
There'll be multi-way lights between Havelock Street and Latimer Road so that Global Utility Connections can connect a new supply to a development.
Temporary lights - B3349 Barkham Road
Sat 29 and Mon 30 August, 8pm to 6pm daily
There'll be two-way lights between Tanhouse Lane and Molly Millars Lane while South East Water install a meter and renew a stoptap.
Keeping up to date
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