Work for A339 access road begins on Monday

Main road to go down to one lane in both directions and 30mph

FURTHER disruption lies ahead for Newbury motorists next week with roadworks set to start on the A339 for a whole year.

The improvement works, which will start on Monday, will see one lane closed in both directions for two weeks.

The works mean further disruption to the town’s traffic following the closure of Boundary Road last month to allow Network Rail to replace the railway bridge ahead of electrification, also expected to last a year.

However, in an effort to alleviate the strain on the town’s already congested roads, the forthcoming lane closures on the A339 will only be in place between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

The works will see the dual carriageway south of the Robin Hood roundabout widened before a new junction is installed leading on to the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE).

The project plans to pave the way for the redevelopment of the LRIE, which this week was the subject of an upheld planning appeal from landowner FDL, effectively granting the developer outline planning permission for the site.

West Berkshire Council says that, as a result, the works will lead to improved traffic flow through the centre of Newbury by reducing the number of vehicles using the Robin Hood junction.

The council has appointed contractor Balfour Beatty to carry out the works.

It will be based at a compound in the car park adjacent to Newbury Football Club in Faraday Road for the duration of the project.

The contractors will spend the first couple of weeks constructing a temporary road layout on the A339, removing the central reservation and reducing the traffic lanes in width in order to create space for the first phase of work to be carried out adjacent to Victoria Park.

West Berkshire Council says that after this initial work, both lanes in each direction should be open “most of the time”.