 image: Thames Water
Closure for water upgrades switches over next week
As we previously reported, Thames Water will be closing Barkham Road and Langley Common Road in stages from Monday (14 September) until mid-summer 2027.
Works will begin in the Barkham area and progress west towards Arborfield Green, carrying out essential upgrades to mains pipes serving this area.
These are at the end of their working life and at risk of failing if they're not replaced. Works will be carried out in phases:
A diversion will be in place throughout and access to properties will be maintained where possible, with a closure to through traffic at all times.
Until 13 November, the Leopard 3 bus service will be diverted and Thames Water will arrange a temporary shuttle between Barkham Road and Wokingham town centre.
You can plan your journey using Reading Buses' website. A safe walking route between the two sides of the closure will be safely maintained at all times.
This follows the works that have been taking place on Bearwood Road over the past few months, which are now coming to an end.
 Motorway shutting soon for new power lines
Don't forget the M4 is closing between junctions 10 and 11 at 9pm next Friday (18 September) until 6am on Monday 21 September.
The closure, which includes a diversion through Wokingham Borough, is for SSEN to reinstall an overhead power line following damage to a pylon.
Hatch Farm Way in Winnersh will also be shut between Budd Grove and King Street Lane from 6am on Saturday 19 until 8pm on Sunday 20 September.
 Cycle lane and other works progress into autumn
As work continues on our active travel route from Woodley to Reading, we're now working on Palmerstone Road in Earley until next Saturday (19 September).
The road is closed at the southern end, near the junction with Church Road, while we make improvements to support walking and cycling.
We're expecting to close Wykeham Road, in Reading borough near Palmer Park, for works from Monday 21 September until Saturday 3 October.
We'll then be closing Culver Lane in Earley from Saturday 3 October until Monday 16 November while we install a two-way segregated cycle track on the southern side.
All side road junctions on the south side of Culver Lane will be improved to enforce cyclist and pedestrian priority, along with other improvements.
We're expecting to finish this project by the end of the year and we'll keep you updated on progress through this newsletter.
 Parking restriction trials along Woodlands Avenue
We're trialling double yellow lines along five parts of Woodlands Avenue in Woodley, where we've installed a two-way cycle track as part of this scheme.
If you regularly use the road, we want to hear your views about the impact of the proposed restrictions, which mean no waiting at any time.
We're trialling single yellow lines at the junction with Fairwater Drive, which mean no waiting from Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 9.30am and 2pm to 4pm.
You can give your views on any part of Woodlands Avenue:
 Bridge repairs starting at end of month
On Monday 28 September, we're going to start repairing the bridge on Church Road in Swallowfield after it was damaged when a lorry crashed into it.
The work will take about two weeks and will require a road closure to allow our partners at Volker Highways to replace the parapet safely.
Since the incident in February, the bridge between Nutbean Lane and Part Lane has remained open with a temporary concrete barrier and temporary traffic lights.
It was closed immediately afterwards, but we quickly carried out extensive inspections of the underside to ensure it was safe to use until repairs could be arranged.
We intended to carry out these works during the summer holiday but this wasn't possible due to conflicts scheduling a contractor and supplier, and needing to finish before the Swallowfield Show on the August Bank Holiday weekend.
We then chose not to schedule the works for the early weeks of September to avoid disruption at the start of the return to school.
As with any such incident, we'll make every effort to recover the costs from the party responsible and are in contact with their insurers.
 Free bus pass scheme follows borough's lead
The Government has announced plans to introduce free all-day bus travel for disabled pass holders across England from April 2027.
This follows years of local campaigning for more accessible bus travel, including by members of Wokingham Borough's Social Care Future initiative.
After residents highlighted the barriers created by weekday time restrictions on disabled bus passes, we removed local restrictions in December 2024.
The benefits were later shared at a parliamentary event in Westminster, where campaigners explained how unrestricted bus travel was helping people access work, education, healthcare and social opportunities more easily.
Since restrictions were lifted, average monthly applications for disabled and disabled-plus-companion bus passes have increased by 21 per cent compared with 2024.
A separate analysis also showed a 16 per cent increase in trips between October 2024 and October 2025.
 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.
Arborfield
Temporary lights - Langley Common Road
Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September (6pm to 11.59pm nightly)
There'll be two-way lights near the film studios while Gigaclear carry out investigative works for a new connection.
Temporary lights - Eversley Road
Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September (7pm to 6am overnight)
There'll be two-way lights between Langley Common Road and Link Way while Gigaclear locate and clear blockages.
Binfield
Road closure - Maidenhead Road
Tuesday 15 September (9.30am to 4pm)
The road will be closed while we carry our resurfacing and related works as part of our annual roads and footways maintenance.
Earley
Temporary lights - Elm Road
Friday 18 to Monday 21 September (9.30am to 3.30pm daily)
There'll be two-way lights between Langdale Gardens and Rowland Way while Scottish and Southern Power Distribution fix a fault.
Hurst
Temporary lights - Davis Street
Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 September
There'll be multi-way lights near Dinton Pastures Country Park while Cityfibre carry out fibre-optic installation works.
Wokingham
Road closure - Edneys Hill
Friday 18 to Monday 21 September (9.30am to 3pm daily)
The road will be closed for pre-patching prior to surface dressing as as part of our annual roads and footways maintenance.
Keeping up to date
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