A339 lane closure for up to a year

Concerns as major bridge repairs force A339 lane closure for up to 12 months on the Newbury to Basingstoke section

The closure of one lane - for up to a year from May - on a major trunk road, linking Newbury and Basingstoke, for £500,000 bridge repairs, has raised huge concerns among local councillors in the surrounding area.

According to Hampshire County Council, the work is to widen and strengthen Knights Bridge, which carries the A339 over the River Enborne, approximately 1 mile north west of Headley, on the Berkshire/Hampshire border.

During the works, the A339 in Headley will be reduced to a single lane controlled by traffic lights, over a 24 hour period, seven days a week, together with a 30 mph speed restriction.

Concerns include long tailbacks of traffic on the busy road, with worries about how emergency services will get through, and rat running through Greenham in Newbury and neighbouring villages including Kingsclere and Ecchinswell.

Kingsclere borough councillor, Cathy Osselton (Con), said she would be raising concerns with highways chiefs in Winchester on December 5, pointing out Kingsclere villagers had been battling issues with HGV's in Swan Street for some time:

“I want to be assured we won't have vehicles coming through Swan Street, George Street and all the neighbouring villages,” said Mrs Osselton,

Chairman of Greenham parish council, Tony Forward, pointed out the road was a “strategic lorry route,” while predicting: “24/7 road chaos!” adding he had fore-warned a local GP's surgery and a community shop in Headley, the latter of which he said: “ struggled at the best to survive,”:

“Why does it take a year to renew such a small bridge when America can reconstruct an elevated motorway after an earthquake in a few months?” he added.

Mr Forward has written to the MP for north West Hampshire with concerns and Sir George Young said this week : “I hope it will be possible to carry out the necessary repair work to the bridge without major disruption to the traffic, and without the diversion of large traffic flows through the villages near the A339.”

According to the county council the work was originally due to start in March, but has been rescheduled to commence in May, due to work, from January, by Network Rail, to replace the Newbury Road rail bridge in Whitchurch. During this time, the A339 is to be used as an alternative traffic route, due to the road closure at Whitchurch.