Changes Made to Increase Capacity at SSE Roadworks Site
TRAFFIC management arrangements are being adjusted at the site of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) works at Reading Bridge, following intervention by Reading Borough Council.
Following discussions between the Council and SSE today (Oct 21st), temporary lights positioned on Vastern Road have now been moved to allow traffic to turn left onto Reading Bridge. Temporary lights located southbound on Reading Bridge will also be slightly relocated later this evening in order to increase traffic capacity at the busy junction further. Working hours are being extended from 7am to 7pm (instead of 7am to 5pm) to allow the works to be carried out as quickly as possible. The Council has additionally made an offer to SSE to extend its working hours further, until 11pm, for the duration of the works. The Council’s traffic management team will now visit the site daily to monitor the new arrangements and to identify any further capacity improvements that can be made as works progress. SSE is carrying out the major works on Napier Road and Vastern Road as part of its £8m upgrade project to ensure a resilient supply of electricity to Reading’s homes and businesses. SSE is aiming for completion of the works in two weeks and an update on progress will be provided by SSE by the end of this week. SSE has apologised for the inconvenience the current delays are causing to road users.Councillor Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said:
“Whilst the works have been timed to coincide with the half term break for schools, the reality is the location – at a major strategic junction on Reading’s road network – was always going to cause considerable disruption. “As the public highway authority, the Council has a statutory duty to allow these important works to take place. We will continue to work with SSE to ensure that traffic management issues are monitored daily, and improved where possible, to try to minimise the impact to the traveling public.” More details of this phase of SSE’s Reading upgrade project can be found at http://news.ssen.co.uk/news/all-articles/2019/october/ssen-announces-next-stage-of-multimillion-pound-central-reading-infrastructure-upgrade/ Public enquiries should be sent to emergency.service.centre@sse.com“Following urgent discussions between the Council and SSE today, the temporary lights on Vastern Road have now been relocated, opening up the left hand turn onto Reading Bridge and providing an immediate increase in capacity. The Council has also extended the hours of operation for SSE until 7pm, with an offer for the company to work until 11pm if needed, in order to speed up the duration of these disruptive works.