Drivers in England warned over using motorway before ‘6am on Monday’
A major motorway will see closures ALL weekend so workers can 'repaint a bridge'[1] sparking chaos for millions. The westbound M4 between junction 11 for Reading and junction 12 for Theale closed at 9pm on Friday and will reopen at 6am on Monday, National Highways has confirmed. National Highways said the closure is to allow "vital works"[2] to the Burghfield Road Bridge and project manager Nick Axford advised drivers to plan "accordingly".
Works include replacing the existing paint system and refurbishing the bridge bearings, to ensure it remains in a safe condition. A diversion will be put in place during the weekend on the M4. This will be the fifth weekend and overnight closures, with the work expected to be completed by the end of July.
Another area of road works that are taking place in Reading that may cause heavier traffic are the continued works on Bath Road.
The same stretch of motorway will also be closed overnight from Monday 20 to Thursday 23 May and Tuesday 28 May to Friday 31 May. Mr Axford advised people to plan "accordingly" and check the National Highways website and social media channels for updates.
It comes a week on from a full closure of the M25. Jonathan Wade, National Highways Senior Project Manager, said: "This is far from a repeat of the previous closure, as the alternative routes are longer and will be different for over-height vehicles and all other traffic. "Drivers listened to our advice last time which reduced motorway traffic levels by over two-thirds and meant delays were limited." The National Highways chief went on and said: "Our advice again is please only travel if absolutely necessary and make sure you give yourself extra time if you do choose to use the M25."
This is to facilitate the GBP317milion Junction 10 improvement scheme.
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