SONNING Bridge will be shut for two weeks next month while engineers carry out vital structural work and upgrade traffic lights.

The popular route will be closed between 9.30am-4pm from Monday, October 28, until Monday, November 11, so that contractors can complete the works, which include building protective barriers to prevent boats hitting the arches.

Wokingham Borough Council’s planning and highways leader, Cllr Keith Baker, said the bridge will be kept open during rush hour to help ease traffic flow and support businesses in the area, including The Mill at Sonning theatre.

*A £4m refurbishment of Whitchurch Bridge is also due to begin on Thursday, October 3.

The 111-year-old toll bridge over the Thames, on the border of South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire, will be closed for six months.

Traffic will be diverted to Caversham and Streatley and a temporary footbridge will be installed.

The route is expected to re-open on April 14, next year.