'Havoc' expected from roadworks on A4 Bath Road spanning 9 months

A ‘significant upgrade’ to the water network on the A4 Bath Road will see about nine months of disruption around this major road.

Temporary traffic lights are set for a 50mph stretch of the A4 Bath Road near to the Bird in Hand pub in Knowl Hill – and signs say to expect delays.

Disruption is expected from January 5 until September 25.

Works are being carried out by Thames Water and were approved by Wokingham Borough Council (WBC). Thames Water is disconnecting the existing Victorian cast iron mains pipe and replacing it with a plastic one.

In a letter sent to residents, Thames Water explained that its ageing pipes are ‘prone to bursts’ and replacing them is part of its long-term strategy to reduce leakage and improve the reliability of its water supply.

It is carrying out the work in phases along Bath Road, Canhurst Lane, and Linden Hill Lane.

This stretch, covering about 0.4 miles, will be from near Maidenhead Chiropractic Clinic up to Knowl Hill Cattery, and from the cattery up past the junction with Canhurst Lane.

There will be two-way traffic lights along Bath Road and three-way lights at junctions with Canhurst Lane and Linden Hill.

Working hours are set from 8am to 6pm with ‘no weekend working currently planned’.

WBC has ‘instructed Thames Water to manually control the signals between 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 4pm on Sundays, which helps manage peak time traffic flow’.

During works, Thames Water’s site compound will be located near the Bath Road junction of Linden Hill Lane.

A temporary speed limit is being placed in the adjoining Linden Hill Lane from 8am on January 5 to 6pm on September 25. The speed limit will be 30mph, all the time.

The RBWM ward councillors for this stretch take a grim view on the impact of these works.

Cllr George Blundell (Lib Dems, Hurley and Walthams) said this will be unpleasant new year surprise for drivers.

“Traffic lights for nine months will be a tough one for anyone from Maidenhead trying to get to Reading or back. It’s not great at all – it’s going to cause havoc,” he said.

Fellow ward councillor Maureen Hunt (Con) feels the same way.

“It's going to be absolutely awful,” she said. “The A4 is so well-used and anything wrong causes congestion on both sides. We’re not looking forward to it.”

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Our purpose is to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and the environment can thrive.

“We would like to thank residents and motorists for their patience whilst we carry out this significant upgrade in Knowl Hill. We aim to keep disruption to a minimum.

“This is a £1.1million project to replace more than three kilometres of water pipes that will reduce the chances of bursts and leaks, and is part of Thames Water’s biggest network upgrade in 150 years that we are carrying out over the next five years.”

A spokesperson for WBC said: “Thames Water and the council considered a range of alternative traffic management options and restrictions, including night working, off-peak restrictions and lane closures.

“Night time and off-peak working were ruled out because the depth of excavation required for the mains replacement works.

“Breaking the works into shorter phases would only postpone the inevitable and create additional inefficiencies... increase the duration of the scheme… [and increase] the cost of the project.”