Boundary Road to be closed 'for months' while railway bridge is replaced
The work, which will be carried out by Network Rail, is to heighten the bridge in preparation for the electrification of the Great Western Main Line.
A signed diversion will be in place while the work takes place and pedestrian access will be maintained by use of a temporary footbridge.
Before September, a closure will also be in place from 10am to 3.30pm on Wednesday, February 25, to allow for the installation of foundations for the temporary footbridge.
There will be another two weekend closures, on April 11/12 and April 18/19 for the bridge to be installed, while more closures are expected between April and September.
During the closure no vehicle will be able to travel in any direction over Boundary Road from Kings Road to Queens Road and on Railway Road from its junction with Boundary Road to a point 50 metres to the west.
Instead, the council has suggested an alternative route via Kings Road, the A339 and Queens Road.
It is anticipated that the new bridge will be wide enough to accommodate two-way traffic with a pedestrian footway on the east side.
However, the current carriageway layout north of the bridge is not wide enough for two-way traffic and until such time as it can be re-modelled, a short section of priority working or temporary traffic signals would be necessary to control traffic.
The necessary carriageway re-modelling is to be achieved in partnership with the developer of the adjacent Sterling Cables site.
Councillor Roger Hunneman (Lib Dem) who represents the Victoria ward where the bridge is situated, said: “I am very pleased that the two-way bridge with footpath we have been pushing for is going to happen.
“However I do have a problem with the diversion route suggested because that was what happened last time Boundary Road was closed and it was a nightmare. It is not an appropriate diversion when people can use the Greenham road instead.
“I will be speaking to council officers to try and get that changed.”
The privately-owned bridge over the railway between Hambridge Road and the Racecourse will not need to be raised as part of the electrification project and will therefore not be affected.
Boundary Road was closed twice last year which caused havoc on the A339, with motorists complaining that town journeys were taking 20 minutes more.
West Berkshire Council said that dates and times of further closures necessary to complete the works would be advertised when they are confirmed.