Traffic signals on A339 next to new link road in Newbury to be turned on tomorrow

New traffic lights on Newtown Road in south Newbury will be switched on tomorrow (Thursday) – but the turning into Highwood Copse Way won’t be available until the New Year.

West Berkshire Council has been making improvements to the A339 since October 2020, when it was announced that the road would be widened on both sides to increase capacity, as well as the new traffic light controlled junction.

This junction connects the A339 to Highwood Copse Way and the new primary school, and includes a pedestrian crossing to allow users to safely cross.

The council has now announced the new traffic lights will be turned on tomorrow, but access to and from Highwood Copse Way will be closed until January 4, 2022.

When the junction is fully operational, residents will only be able to access Highwood Copse Way from the south, but can exit on to the A339 in both a northbound and southbound direction.

Highwood Copse Primary School opened in September for the first time with its first intake for the reception class.

It was previously hoped that the purpose-built school for children aged four to 11 would be ready to welcome its first pupils in September 2018.

However, the project was hit by a series of setbacks, first when the council’s contract with the original contractor Kier was retendered due to “escalating building costs”, and then when its second contractor Dawnus Construction went into administration in March 2019.

The school was finally finished by Newbury-based Feltham Construction.

It will gradually expand each year with a new cohort of pupils until it reaches its full capacity.

The school cost £7.7m and is run by Newbury College Academy Trust, and has been built on dedicated grounds within the college.