We're urging anyone who will be travelling by road in the Reading area on the weekend of 19 and 20 September to plan ahead and allow extra time for your journeys.
The M4 motorway will be closed between junctions 10 (Winnersh) and 11 (Reading) from 9pm on the evening of Friday 18 September to 6am on Monday 21 September. This is to allow for essential work to take place to restore a key part of the overhead electricity network which was severely damaged earlier this year.
Why do we need to close the road between junctions 10 and 11?
Last February, a tree fell onto an electricity tower in Winnersh. The tower was badly damaged, and both it and the lines it carried over the nearby M4 were removed.
The project to restore the network back to its previous state is almost complete. Following months of specialised design work and site preparation, a replacement tower was installed (below) in Winnersh in July.
The next stage involves running new high-voltage wires across the M4, and the only safe way to do this is to close part of the road to all traffic for a short period.
The detailed work of running new lines between electricity towers is a delicate, precise task which relies in part on human sight, which rules out overnight working.
Details of the closure were announced at the beginning of last month. Since then, we have proactively contacted several organisations in the local area, including the emergency services, local authorities, and business groups, to brief them on the need for these works to happen.
Why are the works happening on this particular weekend?
Wherever possible, each set of works involving the motorway or trunk road networks is carefully planned to avoid overlapping with others which have already been scheduled in the vicinity. The dates for our September works were agreed to avoid coinciding with closures on the M3 which are taking place on the weekend before. Other events in the area and key holiday dates are also factored in, to identify when traffic flows are lower to minimise overall disruption. National Highways also works with the emergency services and local authorities to co-ordinate with other works on the wider road network.
Moreover, there’s a pressing need to restore the network back to full strength before the beginning of October. From this point onwards, the days become considerably shorter, and electricity demand increases markedly. This is a trend that continues as winter nears.
As soon as the date was confirmed, planning for the complex line-installation operation accelerated, with the services of specialist engineers and equipment secured for the weekend in question. Once the wire-stringing over the M4 is complete, our in-house experts will need to carry out further work to re-energise this stretch of the network before the end of the month. This needs to happen to ensure electricity supplies are as secure as possible for hundreds of thousands of customers in the local area ahead of winter.
I need to travel in the affected area this weekend – what should I do?
The main diversion route – which was first publicised at the beginning of last month – is via the A329(M) and the B3270, as shown by the green line on the map above.
There’s a likelihood all journey times in the area will be affected. The diversions signposted are only advisory, so it’s likely people with local knowledge may pursue their own alternative routes. This means other roads in the area will also be busier than normal, so allowing extra time for all journeys is strongly advised.
Hatch Farm Way in Winnersh will also be closed over the affected weekend, as it runs immediately to the north of the M4 at the point where the new overhead wires will be suspended.
Advice for those travelling to events in the Reading area
Spectators travelling to Reading FC’s home fixture against Notts County at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday 19 September are advised to allow additional time for their journeys. Following discussions between SSEN, National Highways and Reading FC about these essential works, SSEN and the Club are working together to minimise disruption and help supporters plan their journeys ahead of the 3pm kick-off.
The closure needs to take place when many students will be travelling to the University of Reading ahead of the new term. Campus staff are communicating with students, to advise them of the need to plan ahead and allow more time for journeys to their accommodation.
Jo Niven, SSEN Distribution’s Head of Customer Delivery says:
“With just over two weeks to go before this essential weekend closure takes place, I urge anyone travelling in the area to make plans now for journeys they’ll need to make. I know there’s no ideal time to close this road, and I acknowledge this closure and the resulting diversion will lead to some disruption for those who need to travel. But this short-term closure is the only way we can get the electricity network in this area back to full strength before the onset of the winter, so I’m grateful for people's patience while we complete the job.
“Since we first announced our need to temporarily close this part of the M4, we’ve undertaken a great deal of engagement with those who may be affected by these essential works. We’re grateful to organisations for their understanding of the need for this road closure, and for the proactive planning they’ve undertaken in the weeks since.”