FEARS of disruption for Reading Festival-goers and commuters with a busy walkway under Reading Station being closed for 16-weeks just before the event has been addressed by Reading Borough Council.
Reading council officers have explained the reason for the long closure of station passageway amid fears that works could runover during Reading Festival.
The council’s Labour administration has been slammed for the 16-week closure of the passage that runs underneath Reading train station linking the town centre with the south bank of the Thames and Caversham.
The work is being undertaken to raise the roof of the passage to officially allow cyclists to use it for the first time since it opened in 2013.
But the Liberal Democrats have criticised the project as it will stretch on for months, will cost £400,000 and a diversion will take people through ‘the filthy, loud and cramped Vastern Road underpass’.
There are also fears that if the project faces delays, the passageway could remain closed during the festival.
Work is meant to be completed on Tuesday, August 20, but any delay could mean work bleeds over to 21-25 August, when the festival is running.
The council has responded to the criticisms by the Lib Dems.
READ MORE: Lib Dems slam long closure of Reading station passageway
A council spokesperson said: “This long-awaited project involves the removal of low-hanging tiles whilst protecting service ducts, improving headroom clearance for users, repairs to floor and wall tiles, improvements to the approaches and signage, repairs and replacement of any lighting and, finally, a deep clean.
“The work will enable the removal of a historic cycling ban and deliver yet another key strategic cycle route through Reading, linking to Christchurch Bridge and Caversham.
“When complete, the underpass promises to offer a significantly more attractive and welcoming route for residents.
“An alternative would have been to maintain partial access at most, but not all times, which would have meant an extra 10 weeks of disruption, £176,000 of additional costs and would have meant the project would not have been completed before the arrival of Reading Festival.”
The importance of the subway being open for the festival has been referred to as revellers use it to get from central Reading to shuttle buses from the station’s northern exit.
The spokesperson said: “Following careful consideration, the council chose to reduce the period of disruption to residents and a timetable which allows work to be complete before Reading Festival.
“In an ideal world, work would have begun earlier however it was delayed following negotiations with Network Rail on final designs, which are now complete.
“We fully appreciate the obvious inconvenience the temporary closure will cause.
“The Council did everything possible to convince Network Rail to allow residents to use the station as a diversion overbridge as a cut through, however the Council’s request was declined as it would allow travellers access to platforms without payment of fares. Network Rail has however agreed to allow disabled users through the station.
“For other users, the fully signed diversion route is the quickest way available to navigate the closure.
“We ask residents to bear with us while these important improvement works take place.”
The subway will close on Tuesday, May 7 and remain closed until Tuesday, August 20.
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