A Wokingham pub landlord has said the newly opened ‘link road’ could bring fresh business, despite months of disruption.
The new route connecting Heathlands Road to Montague Park, opened last week.
Howard Witten, 49, who has run The Crooked Billet on Honey Hill since 2016 with his fiancée Jo, 56, said he is optimistic about the future.
The pub sits between Nine Mile Ride and the new road, close to a deep ford.
He said: “We’re quite attached to it,” but business has been down 40% due to the construction of the South Wokingham distributor road.
Mr Witten said the new road “feels faster” but added: “It’s also further because it feels like it’s added on to your journey.
“It’ll take some getting used to.
“You’ve got to go out of Wokingham to get back in again.”
Access to the area from the town centre has changed following the closure of the Easthampstead Road level crossing.
He added: “If the level crossing wasn’t there it wouldn’t be an issue. It seems like Wokingham town centre is closing down anyway.”
The pub has suffered during construction works, particularly when Heathlands Road was closed. Access from the north was limited to the deep Gardner’s Green Ford – adjacent to the pub.
He said: “When the road works started there were hundreds of people coming through the ford. When a car came the other way, people would try to reverse up and get stuck in the ditch.”
“The road-works have really affected our business. Sales have been down by 40 per cent.
“We’ve had people calling up saying ‘I don’t know how to get to you.’”
Despite this, the new road is already improving connectivity. It will link Finchampstead Rod, Crowthorne and Nine Mile Ride with London Road, Coppid Beech, and the strategic road network.
The route has a 30mph limit, wide verges and a shared footway and cycleway, designed to separate traffic from pedestrians.
Although connections to Tesco and Molly Millars Lane are not yet complete, the link forms the first finished section of the South Wokingham distributor road.
Journeys from Crowthorne Station to Coppid Beech now take around 12 and a half minutes, while Squire’s garden centre to the M4/A329M junction takes under nine minutes.
From Nine Mile Ride along Heathlands Road to Coppid Beech takes about seven and a half minutes, and from California Crossroads along the same route all the way to the M4 junction in only 15 minutes outside peak hours.
