Traffic chaos in Newbury as major road closures cause gridlock in town centre
Police have been forced to close a road in Newbury just so they can avoid traffic chaos and quickly get in and out of the police station.
Traffic has been gridlocked around the town centre today (Monday) as six weeks of road closures around Kings Road and Boundary Road began.
Thames Valley Police have had to put a road closure on Mill Lane to enable its emergency vehicles to get in and out of the police station after it was reported they were earlier stuck in queues for more than 45 minutes.
The planned closure of Kings Road and Boundary Road was supposed to get under way earlier this month, but was pushed back to today due to “last minute complications”.
The roads are not expected to reopen until September 25.
The closure is to allow highway and drainage improvements associated with the Sterling Cables development to be carried out.
But today has seen traffic chaos around the whole area, with many angry motorists contacting Newburytoday to voice their concerns and anger at the problems.
Kings Road is closed between its junctions with Boundary Road and Hectors Way, while Boundary Road will be closed between its junctions with Railway Road and Mill Lane/Bone Lane.
The crossroads where Kings Road meets Boundary Road will be closed to traffic in all directions.
The one-way restrictions on Kings Road and Boundary Road will be suspended in order to maintain access for residents, with Kings Road accessible from the traffic lights near Sainsbury’s.
Parking will also be restricted on these roads, with the extent of the restrictions dependant on the works.
The alternative route for Kings Road is via Bone Lane/Hambridge Road, the A4 Bath Road, the A339 and the western end of Kings Road.
The diversion for the southern section of Boundary Road is via Bone Lane/Hambridge Road, the A4 Bath Road, the A339, Greenham Road and Stroud Green.
The work is part of the 167-apartment Sterling housing development, where a new link road was approved by West Berkshire Council in June.
But there will be no red lights on the road to control traffic – as costs for traffic lights spiralled from £250,000 in the original plan, to £1m.
The nod for the road connecting Hectors Way to Kings Road through the new Sterling Estate development has some conditions attached – including investigations for more zebra crossings, with one across to Sainsbury’s.
A new mini roundabout will also be created at the entrance to the site in Kings Road with the stretch of road between the roundabout and the junction of Boundary Road turned into a two-way street.
