Residents branded the closure of a whole segment of the A4 this week ‘unacceptable’, as a further closure is scheduled for later this month.
The A4 at Blakes Lane was closed on July 11 so that contractors could remove the cats eyes in preparation for re-surfacing, which took place on July 12 and 13.
The work is part of Wokingham Borough Council’s annual maintenance programme, meaning that it has been selected as a road requiring re-surfacing.
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The council said the work was scheduled to take place between 09:30am and 16:00pm “to avoid peak times” but explained that it is not possible to lay the grip-fibre surface dressing overnight, so a daytime closure was “unavoidable”.
However, residents complained that there was “no indication” of exactly where the closure was as there were signs saying advising it “for miles”.
One resident said articulated lorries were having to do “three-point turns” and called the official diversion route “ridiculous”.
There is a further closure planned to replace the road markings and cats eyes, which is currently scheduled for July 20.
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Councillor Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways said: “We will ask our contractors, Volker Highways, to review advance warning signs for future closures.
“It is a difficult site for signs, because London Road and Mumbery Hill to the west and Warren Row Road are the last reasonable diversion points.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this work has caused and thank drivers for their patience whilst we complete these works.”
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