Taken from Wokingham Borough News Centre
Sixty seven roads will be improved and renewed as part of Wokingham Borough Council’s £4.8million resurfacing programme for 2021-22.
Our contractors will be working across the borough on the roads which are most in need of attention to keep the borough moving smoothly.
Key transport routes including Reading Road, Winnersh; Lower Earley Way, Earley; Hyde End Road, Shinfield; Broadwater Lane, Hurst, and Denmark Street, Wokingham, are on the list for roads which will see work.
The council will also be carrying out footway repairs at 14 locations as part of the work being undertaken, with more details on these set for release later this year.
A full list of the roads being worked on can be read in the Annual Road Maintenance programme 202122 PDF list .
How we choose locations
The roads selected are based on surveys carried out by the council’s highways teams throughout the year.
They identify the roads most in need of attention guaranteeing work takes place where it’s most needed based on the data we collect and the surveys we do.
“We have an unwavering commitment to invest in our road network, with £13million invested or earmarked for spending on maintenance across the borough over the last few years,” said Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport.
“We know our motorists and cyclists expect their journeys around the borough to be smooth and keeping our roads maintained to a high standard helps us to do this. But they also expect journeys to be smooth even when we’re carrying out these improvements, so we work overnight or off-peak during the day to ensure we aren’t disrupting journeys on key routes.”
Continued investment
In total there will be 28 full resurfacing schemes, 20 surface dressing schemes and 19 microasphalt schemes, with more information on each type of work available on the council’s website.
These will take place in phases throughout the financial year, with the first phase starting in May.
The council continues to invest in its highway maintenance, with more than 220 roads seeing works take place over the last two financial years.
It’s part of a series of highway investments in Wokingham Borough including the council’s £124million major highways programme and new or improved park and ride car parks and services across the area.
The council is also beginning its work to invest £20million in tackling congestion over the next few years.
Reducing disruption
In key strategic locations we reduce disruption by working overnight, from 8pm to 6am. Residents who live on streets where works are taking place will receive letters notifying them in advance and signs will be placed on streets where work is happening.
We also carry out resurfacing off-peak during the day, between 9.30am and 4pm, so work takes place when fewer people are using the roads.
Work on site on the council’s behalf has followed Government and construction industry social distancing guidance since March 2020 and will continue to do so.
Residents can keep up to date on the progress of the programme on the council’s website. Details of all road closures as part of the work can be found via the One.Network website. Weekly updates throughout the programme can be found in our weekly traffic and travel newsletter, which residents can sign up for now.
