Widening of Calcot road to start next month

This follows West Berkshire Council’s successful bid for almost £2m of Department for Transport money to help fund the works to alleviate congestion between Royal Avenue and Langley Hill.
The £1.992m funding means that the £2.8m project to widen the road to provide an additional westbound traffic lane can be completed much earlier than previously planned.
This part of the A4 serves as the main access route to and from the M4 junction 12 to the residential areas of west Reading, and the opportunity is also being taken to improve traffic flow eastbound from Royal Avenue to Langley Hill junction.
The project will be funded primarily from the Government’s ‘Pinch Point’ funding, with the balance coming from developer’s contributions, including one from Ikea.
Preliminary site and tree clearance will take place from February 3 to 7, to ensure it is carried out before the bird-nesting season, with the main works to widen the road starting during the summer months.
A number of design amendments have already been incorporated in view of the consultation responses including the provision of noise reduction fencing.
A further public meeting will take place in the spring, prior to the start of the main works that start in July .