HUNDREDS of Reading's roads will be resurfaced in work starting next month.

From October 2, the first phase of the improvement of residential roads will begin as part of Reading Borough Council's (RBC) commitment to a £9m project which will transform up to a third of the town's roads.

The first 63 roads to be improved under the scheme will be completed by the end of March 2021.

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Hundreds more roads across Reading will benefit from surfacing improvements taking place over the next three years in response to residents’ calls for better roads.

A Citizens Panel survey conducted by the council in November 2018 revealed that more than 50 per cent of respondents listed ‘better roads and pavements’ as top of their lists for improvements, and the RBC has responded with the biggest programme of resurfacing it has ever undertaken.

The £9m investment from the council is focused on residential side roads, and will complement additional resurfacing work funded by the Department of Transport on major arterial routes throughout the borough.

RBC is hoping that from March, dependent on social distancing rules, it will be able to operate a new and novel engagement programme.

This will allow local residents to find out more about the programme on selected roads by meeting the team doing the resurfacing, learning how the process works and discovering how this fits into the wider scheme of road improvements across the borough.

Cllr Tony Page, RBC's lead member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: "The views of our residents are of paramount importance to us, and something that came through clearly from them was a desire for better roads in the town.

"Despite challenging times economically, we are delighted to reveal that tens of thousands of our residents, in hundreds of streets and across all wards, will benefit from our £9m residential road improvement scheme which begins on October 2."

Advance notice boards will go up on the roads to be resurfaced and residents will receive a letter two to three days before the work is carried out.

Roads will be closed between 8am and 5pm for the improvements to safely take place, with cars needing to vacate the roads in advance.

Any parked vehicles will be liable for a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and will be removed.

After a one - two week period when the roads will seem rough and gravelly whilst they are left to settle, the roads will be closed again so the contractor can return to sweep the road and paint the road markings on the new surface, leaving smooth new residential road surfaces across the borough.

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The roads to be resurfaced in the first phase of the scheme (October 2020 – March 2021), listed by ward, are:

  • Abbey - Newport Road
  • Abbey - Sackville Street
  • Abbey - Princes Street
  • Abbey - Lynmouth Road
  • Abbey - Baker Street (Russell St-Prospect St)
  • Abbey/Park - Sun Street
  • Battle - Elm Lodge Avenue
  • Battle - Sherwood Street
  • Battle - Alma Street
  • Battle - Dorset Street
  • Battle - Belmont Road
  • Battle - Cambridge Street
  • Battle - Cannon Street
  • Caversham - Paddock Road
  • Caversham - Piggotts Road
  • Caversham - Wolsey Road
  • Caversham - Hemdean Rise
  • Caversham - The Slopes
  • Caversham - Falkland Road
  • Caversham - Hemdean Hill
  • Church - Barnsdale Road
  • Church - Modbury Gardens
  • Church - Poplar Gardens
  • Church - Hollydale Close
  • Church - Torrington Road
  • Church - Wentworth Avenue
  • Katesgrove - Elgar Road South
  • Katesgrove - Canterbury Road
  • Katesgrove - Edgehill Street
  • Katesgrove - Clent Road
  • Kentwood - Cranbourne Gardens
  • Kentwood - Hartslock Way
  • Mapledurham - Upper Warren Avenue
  • Minster - Brownlow Road
  • Minster - Brunswick Street
  • Minster - Boston Avenue
  • Minster - Castle Crescent
  • Minster - Westcote Road
  • Norcot - Taff Way Norcot / Southcote
  • Tilehurst - New Lane Hill
  • Norcot/Battle - Waverley Road
  • Park - Grange Avenue
  • Park - Pitcroft Avenue
  • Park - Manchester Road
  • Park - Norris Road
  • Park - St Edwards Road
  • Peppard - Eric Avenue
  • Peppard - Cavendish Road
  • Peppard/Thames - Chiltern Road
  • Redlands - Addington Road
  • Redlands - Denmark Road
  • Southcote - Southcote Lane
  • Southcote - Circuit Lane
  • Thames - Haldane Road
  • Thames - Newlands Avenue
  • Thames - Peppard Road (Service Road in front of 13 to 45)
  • Tilehurst - Corwen Road
  • Tilehurst - Crescent Road
  • Tilehurst - Elmstone Drive
  • Whitley - Vernon Crescent
  • Whitley - Chagford Road
  • Whitley - Honiton Road
  • Whitley - Swallowfield Drive