Road closure warning for work on route to new homes

A stretch of a main town centre route is set to close so preparation work can be made ahead of building a new road to give access to homes coming to the area.

Wokingham Borough Council said the South Wokingham Distributor Road would give an alternative route avoiding Wokingham town centre.

The road will connect to about 1,800 homes that are going to be built to the south of the railway line.

A section of Easthampstead Road will close between Waterloo Road and Heathlands Road for two weeks from 20 January with diversions in place.

During the two-week closure residents and businesses will have access from either side of the level crossing near Star Lane, but there will be no vehicle access across the railway.

The main work to build the road is expected to start in early spring and will involve further road closures and diversions.

The new road will run from the roundabout between the two railway bridges on Finchampstead Road to the new roundabout on Waterloo Road.

Wokingham Borough Council said it was being paid for through a £29.6m contribution from Homes England, the Government's housing and regeneration agency.

Two sections of the road have already been finished - William Heelas Way off London Road, which serves the new Montague Park housing estate including Floreat Montague Park Primary School, and the Eastern Gateway which links to a new roundabout on Waterloo Road.

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.