Life on the open road

Wokingham Borough Mayor Malcolm Richards opens the new Winnersh Relief Road on Monday

THE SECOND phase of the Winnersh relief road is now open, writes Jess Warren.

The route from King Street Lane to Reading Road cuts out the Winnersh crossroads, and was included in the council’s 2010 local plan.

It means drivers will no longer be able to turn right from King Street Lane onto Hatch Farm Way, or turn right from Longdon Road onto King Street Lane.

Mark Cupit, assistant director delivery and infrastructure at the council called it an incredible milestone for the borough and thanked all that have been involved in the project.

“The project has been successfully completed despite having the disruption of a global pandemic,” he said.

“We have seen a lot of change in recent years, through the development of new communities and we are committed to ensuring we build the right infrastructure in the right places.

“The council is investing £1 billion in new schools, community and leisure facilities, parks and open spaces and roads to ensure our new communities have what they need to thrive.

“This final phase of the Winnersh Relief Road is a key piece of the puzzle to help relieve the congestion we have at the Winnersh Sainsbury’s crossroads.”

The new road is part of the council’s major highways project which will see an investment of more than

£100 million from developer contributions and the Berkshire-wide Business Rates Retention Pilot (BRRP2).

The BRRP2 is part of a Government pilot which allows councils in Berkshire to retain a percentage of the business rates paid by businesses in the borough.

Some of this is then allocated to the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for infrastructure projects, and distributed to the authorities following a bidding process.

The BRRP2 contributed

£6.26 million to phase two of the Winnersh Relief Road.

Bob Mountain, vice chair of the Berkshire Local Transport Body and board director at Thames Valley Berkshire LEP said the road aligns with LEP priorities by helping to relieve congestion issues across the wider area.

“It also meets the infrastructure needs by supporting delivery of the Hatch Farm Dairies development of more than 400 houses as well as the wider need for housing growth in the area.

“The scheme delivers on many levels – not only reducing existing and future peak hour congestion in Winnersh by providing an alternative route for through traffic but also reducing journey times on the A329 Reading Road through Winnersh. Importantly, it also encourages active travel through the provision of cycle lanes and footpaths.”

The road connects the A329 Reading Road, via a new roundabout, to the B3030 King Street Lane.

The final section of the relief road links to the west of Old Forest Road via another new roundabout on Reading Road. This is due to be completed by late summer.

For more information, visit the council website and search for ‘major new roads’.