Plans to reopen part of the new Shinfield Relief Road has been delayed due to the cold weather.
Freezing temperatures mean that the overnight works that have closed parts of the Arborfield Road overnight are over running. The project’s builders, Hochtief, said that the concrete is taking longer than usual to cure, causing the delays.
This means that the lanes cannot safely be reopened just yet, although it is hoped to reopen the lanes later this evening.
And Hochtief is also warning that there could be delays tomorrow as work commences on the westbound carriageway.
A spokesperson for Hochtief said: “Overnight work at Arborfield Road started well last night, however, we experienced some complications which needed altering to allow the final surfacing to take place.
“As soon as the temporary off-peak traffic signals were installed at 10am this morning, we began reinstatement work on the eastbound carriageway.
“Unfortunately, the ongoing cold weather has meant that the concrete is taking longer than normal to cure and we are unable to safely re-open the lane to traffic until later tonight.
“To minimise disruption during the evening peak we are reducing the traffic signal closure as much as possible, so that it only extends as far as necessary to protect the reinstated area.
“Also, our traffic management contractor will be in attendance throughout the evening peak to monitor the traffic flow and manually control the signals as necessary.
“A similar reinstatement will be required on the westbound carriageway tomorrow and, if the temperature remains as it is now, it is highly likely that we will have the same problem removing the temporary lane closure.
“As above, if this is the case we will manually operate the signals to assist traffic flow during the peak times.”
The Magpie and Parrot pub is open as usual during the works.
