The project to upgrade the roundabout at the junction of Molly Millars Lane and Finchampstead Road is progressing well and remains on schedule to move into the next phase in late January 2026.
The current stage of construction (Phase 3) requires Finchampstead Road to be closed north of the junction. When the next phase begins, the closure will switch to the southern approach.
Christmas Period Arrangements
Work on the scheme will pause over Christmas and restart on 5 January, in line with national industry practice and supplier shutdowns. The council has confirmed the road cannot be reopened temporarily during this period, as making the site safe for traffic would require significant additional work both before and after Christmas. This would cause delays to the project and to the wider South Wokingham Distributor Road programme.
While acknowledging that this may be frustrating for residents and businesses, the council said reopening the road briefly would ultimately lead to greater disruption.
Why the Road Must Stay Closed
There are currently several open excavations beneath the railway bridge, meaning the route is not suitable for vehicles.
To reopen even temporarily, the contractor would need to install and later remove temporary works, delaying not only Phase 3 but also Phase 4. This would also impact the planned start of work on Easthampstead Road in April, which is intended to begin only after the roundabout upgrade is completed to help keep traffic moving.
Once the current phase is finished, access beneath the railway bridge will be restored. Phase 4 is expected to be completed by mid-March, a timescale that would not be achievable if temporary reopening took place.
The council also stressed the need to consider project costs, especially given wider financial pressures, while remaining committed to delivering key infrastructure to support new housing.
Working Hours
Approved working hours for the Western Gateway scheme are:
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Mon–Fri: 8am–6pm
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Saturday: 8am–1pm
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Sunday & bank holidays: No work permitted
The council and contractor Balfour Beatty continue to review opportunities to improve the programme, including limited out-of-hours working where appropriate. However, due to the nature of the utility works, these opportunities are restricted, and some works must be carried out by third-party asset owners.
Wider Road Network Pressures
The council recognises that the works are temporarily reducing highway capacity. Non-urgent roadworks have been refused or postponed wherever possible to reduce the overall impact. Any delay to the Western Gateway programme would risk clashing with major utilities work planned in Barkham in 2026.
Impact on the Town Centre
Monitoring shows that people are still travelling into Wokingham town centre despite longer journey times. Car park stays were down only 2.5% across September and October, while footfall data suggests numbers have remained steady or even slightly increased.
The council is working with Wokingham Town Council to support local businesses through a joint marketing campaign running into 2026 and continues to meet regularly with affected firms.
Residents are encouraged to continue shopping locally and to consider walking or cycling where possible to reduce pressure on the roads.
Long-Term Benefits
When complete, the roundabout upgrade and the South Wokingham Distributor Road will:
✔ improve traffic flow
✔ introduce new pedestrian crossings
✔ provide shared walking and cycling routes
✔ support new homes and local businesses
The council thanked residents and businesses for their patience and cooperation as these essential works continue.
Photo from https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/
A simple idea of upgrading a roundabout but looks totally odd from the aerial pics so far 🤔 🙄
James Harry Ferrier what’s odd about a roundabout that’s not yet finished?
It would nice to see some one working
Yes, and dont forget the railway bridge bottle neck not being changed 🙄 this is all about new housing.
Pauline Ellis surely not Pauline, this is about a very thoughtful borough council making it easy for all of us to travel in and out of our beloved town centre.
Peter Woolcott sounds like you have the same sense of humour as me 😒
Pauline Ellis I just love all the wonderful bike lanes they created along the main roads throughout the borough, I once saw a cyclist in one , I stopped and asked what he thought of our council providing such an amenity..he was unable to answer as he was lost and stumbled onto the road by mistake.
Peter Woolcott well, they are going to make some more for the cyclists along Woosehill Road ( the spine road I think ) it will cause chaos at the roundabout but never mind.
Pauline Ellis exactly what I was getting at , an ever so thoughtful council , spending our money on their pipe dreams that nobody wants and virtually nobody uses. Forget the state of the roads that virtually everyone uses typical example is the state of Nine Mile Ride as it merges into NMR extension it is worse than third world.
Peter Woolcott 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Pauline Ellis yup. Need to road to overload town more. Without any added services, no gps, still no secondary school, no expansion of Tesco car park. Utterly pathetic. All the parties are th same. None can be trusted. All waste money.
Pauline Ellis bridge would be network rail, you would need them to agree, close the main line for a weekend potentially multiple. put on alternatives to the trains adding many millions more to the costs. yep it would be nice but if the roundabout flows better and the relief road provides a bypass of sorts the bridge may not have been identified as the bottle neck and the adjacent works could improve the location without the extra expense.
You may be right, it would take a lot of money and definitely chaos on the already jammed up road
Pauline Ellis the bridge is big and has never been the bottleneck. It was a roundabout that was only big enough for one car at a time.
It’s staggering how the “impact” of the works omits to mention the 20-30 minute queue of traffic right outside Shute End most mornings and evenings. Where the council offices are. Must be because they’re all working from home or France…..!
To be honest it’s ridiculous it’s taken so long. It appears to have to 2 men who work 10am-2pm with an hr or more lunch! They could have had a big team 7 days a week and done it in a couple of weeks.,Someone on the council is making huge money out of this in the background mark my words!
L’ren West that is the key to this and the truth, “someone is making a lot of money” no councillors can be trusted to be honest and open, it’s all about the back pocket !
L’ren West and we are the mugs paying for corrupt people. And more to the point, what is the gain really! There are SO MANY OTHER IMPORTANT WAYS MONEY COULD BE SPENT!
L’ren West taking 9 months to build one roundabout is indeed ridiculous. There’s no reason for that at all IMO.
But to postulate someone in the council is getting rich because of it is both farcical and ridiculous in the extreme. How, exactly?! Does a councillor manufacture time or something?
It’s staggering to me as a drainage and groundwork contractor how they make these projects last so long .
The pace of work must be beyond slow ! Which means the cost must be miles over what it could be 🤷🤷
Kyle Smith
I think you are spot on with that!!
Stephen Brunt he is spot on. Someone somewhere is taking the piss
Jason Head
And probably earning an awful lot of money!!
Also I cannot see the benefit, you still have the same roads with a bigger roundabout? Is the bigger roundabout to allow more cars to standstill, whilst still trying to negotiate the same roads??
I have no idea what they have in mind or who’s getting the bigger backhander??
Stephen Brunt yeah I have said the same thing, I can’t see what benefit it’s going to make
Just zero benefit – this is a waste without any bridge work being done.
Stephen Brunt developers getting their funds they have to legally provide back , get it back through civils companies who over charge and then funnel money back to them .
Is my theory
Kyle Smith I’m not skeptical person but sometimes I think money is being siphoned way in the name of these projects probably being kept aside for next election or somebody’s making so much money
Jatti Daisy I think so too , when the roundabout at finchampstead cost 5 million plus 2 in consultation!!
No way could that project ever cost that sort of money in my professional opinion.
I think what happens is the developers who have to provide the funding must get the money back from the companies that carry out the contract .
Hence why one from way out the area was chosen in my opinion.
Company carries out the work for say 3 million and gives 2 back to the developer through other channels .
Everyone makes a fortune .
Im not sure how else a contract could ever be so over priced and signed off
Kyle Smith
You could well be right, there is definitely something going on financially. Why spend millions on a project that has no real benefit to anyone accept the contractors and the hangers on??
Stephen Brunt developers are the most savvy clued up types out there mate .
There is no way they are simply giving millions to councils because they are told too , they always find a way round things.
A lot of these projects I’m sure are for show and the money is simply channeled back to the developers or investors in the long run.
All these development backers and developers know most of the big civils contractors too , it would be no surprise to me that investors would be involved in backing large civils contracts and hey presto the money is back where it started
Where do they get these figures from, 2.5% decrease in shoppers. All the people I know who work in the high street have said a noticeable reduction in customers, and that would be more than 2.5%.
I still can’t see the reason for roundabouts to be changed, rather than investment in other road areas. And as mentioned, time scales are crazy long, they build whole housing estates in less time, and at cheaper prices.
Adam Hartley I’ve been in Tesco a couple of times and the car park is deserted, they must have lost a fortune!
Colin Dean the ladies on the tills say the same, it is dead in there.
I believe most have many ved to Toutley depot
This new bypass (hahahaha) I mean spine road for more housing will not cure ANY of Wokinghams traffic problems. Absolute waste of money.
If you think that there has been traffic chaos over the last few months then you will be really upset come early January as things are about to get much much worse.
Dead right and they fail to factor in the costs of extra mileage ,loss of business never mind total and utter distrust of everything WBC do …9 months of nothing but he’ll and inconvenience and for what ?
Progress, oh the irony!
Good job the builders have had a lovely 2 week Christmas break, must be knackered having to build a roundabout in only 6 months….
Tim Moriarty I believe it is nine months.
I can give you an update so you dont have to read it. Its fucked
Not been to wokingham shopping since this started
Quite why they insisted on screwing up Finchampstead Road AND Easthampstead Road at the same time simply beggars belief.
And to take SO long.
I moved from Wokingham in December 2016…….I lived on the Barkham Road close to Edneys Hill….From this picture I do not recognise the Wokingham I knew….I had lived in Wokingham for just over 50yrs……
This roundabout is just a distraction. The main issue is the road being built from Bracknell past Tesco coming into Wokingham all those empty fields I guarantee have been marked for building more houses.
Jatti Daisy it has. We already know that. That’s why this roundabout is being built.
Next roundabout build will be Woosehill to improve conditions for cyclists.
I wonder how long they will drag that out.
Tony Lack Woosehill roundabout doesn’t need any changes. Its worked fine for 50 years!!! Waste of money. Half a dozen or so cyclists a day doesn’t warrant the spend!!!
Lynn Forbes even if one of those is the WBC executive member for transport?
Tony Lack indeed!!!
Still think it is a complete waste of money because of the Railway Bridge it’s achieved nothing but a bottle neck at Tesco
Am I correct in understanding that this project was started under the previous administration ?
Inept wokingham council
Looking at this one would hardly connect it with a declining small market town