A4 to close overnight between Newbury and Thatcham
Work is to prepare for traffic light replacement
THE A4 will be closed between Newbury and Thatcham for a 10-hour period tonight (Monday).
The road will be closed between the B&Q roundabout and the Turnpike Road and Tull Way roundabout, from 7pm until 5am tomorrow (January 28).
The closure is to allow all traffic lights at the A4 Hambridge Road and Fir Tree Lane junction to be replaced as part of a West Berkshire Council improvement project.
The council said that a temporary traffic light system would be in place for a few weeks to prepare and install the new lights. In a letter to residents, it said: “In order to safely undertake certain aspects of the works described and to protect the public and the contractor, a road closure is required.
“Due to the high volume of vehicle movements using this junction during the day, these works will be undertaken overnight.”
Access from the A4 to Hambridge Road and its adjoining roads, as well as Fir Tree Lane, Lower Way and Dorneywood Way, will be affected.
The council said the road might need to be closed overnight on January 28 into January 29 if the work was not completed on January 27.
It has asked businesses accessed from the A4 expecting deliveries to make every effort to alter delivery times outside of the closure period.
The council added that access to residential properties within the closure area will be permitted at all times, but there may be periods where access would be delayed.
The overnight closures follow an off-peak lane closure between 9.30am and 4pm, across the left-turn out of Hambridge Road on to the A4.
The closure, which started on Monday, is to allow ducting to be laid in preparation for the new traffic signals. Outside off-peak hours, the closure will be removed and normal conditions will resume.
For more information, call the council’s customer services team on (01635) 519080 or email projects@westberks.gov.uk
The council has abandoned plans to widen the left-turn lane out of Hambridge Road after discovering utility cables have been buried too close to the surface.
