Overnight road closures on A33 Relief Road
- Series of overnight road closures required as phase five of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit scheme nears completion
- Diversion and traffic management will be in place as closures take place between August and October
- The scheme will deliver improved bus services and a new cycle and pedestrian bridge
A series of overnight road closures will take place on the A33 Relief Road as work on the latest phase of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme approaches completion.
The full closures will take place between Bennet Road and the Inner Distribution Road (IDR) on several Saturday nights and weeknights between August and October.
The fifth phase of the South Reading BRT will deliver a new cycle and pedestrian bridge, improved bus journey times and better public transport access to shops and businesses.
Contractor GRAHAM will be carrying out the works which will require full closures in both directions to ensure the safety of workers and members of the public.
The A33 will be closed between Bennet Road and the IDR (A329) overnight on the following Saturdays between 6pm-9am:
- Saturday 9 August
- Saturday 16 August
- Saturday 30 August
- Saturday 27 September
The same section of road will also be closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 8pm-6am during the following weeks:
- Monday 1 – Thursday 4 September
- Monday 6 – Thursday 9 October
- Monday 13 – Thursday 16 October
A signed diversion will be in place during the closures, via Bennet Road, Basingstoke Road, Southampton Street/Whitley Street and the IDR.
Access to Kennet Island and other local properties and business premises will be available via traffic management staff onsite.
Phase five of the South Reading BRT will allow buses using the A33 to avoid current traffic pinch points and further improve services to Kennet Island, Green Park and Mereoak Park and Ride.
The scheme will provide improvements around the Rose Kiln Lane (North) junction, with new bus lanes to the north and south to link with existing routes, and additional bus stops to provide improved public transport access to Reading Link Retail Park and other nearby businesses.
A new pedestrian and cycle bridge has also been installed over the River Kennet to allow a bus lane to be extended without taking road space away from general traffic.
This phase of the scheme is due to be completed in October.
Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:
“This series of works will progress the latest phase of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit scheme towards its completion.
“Once finished, the scheme will provide even quicker and more reliable journeys for bus passengers travelling between south Reading and the town centre. It will also improve access to shops and businesses which were previously difficult to reach by public transport.
“The nature of the forthcoming works means they cannot be carried out safely without some overnight closures of a section of the A33 relief road.
“We appreciate this will inevitably cause some disruption and I would like to thank road users for their patience during these periods.”
Phase five of the South Reading BRT is part of Reading’s Bus Service Improvement Plan which attracted £26m funding from the Department for Transport. It connects with previously installed bus priority measures on the A33 to provide fast and reliable journeys for park and ride and other bus services.
The scheme supports the Council’s aims of encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and walking to help reduce congestion, improve air quality and benefit the health of Reading residents.