The Highways Agency announced it is to start work on Junction 10 of the M4 from next month, which enables drivers to reach Wokingham and Bracknell via the A329M.

The junction suffers from severe traffic around rush hour both in the morning and the evening, and the scheme is aimed at relieving some of the congestion suffered during these times.

At a cost of about £2.5m, the agency’s Pinch Point Programme aims to improve journey times and reduce the number of accidents through the junction.

The slip roads on the northbound and southbound sections of the A329M/M4 junction will be widened where it is currently one lane wide, to create a second lane.

The road markings on the link roads from the M4 to the A329M will be amended to allow for two lanes also.

The project is set to last until the end of March next year. To facilitate the works, the lanes will experience overnight closures throughout the six-month period. Clear diversions will be in place during this time. About 6,000 jobs will be created as a result of the project, according to the Highways Agency.

Tying in with Wokingham Borough Council’s Core Strategy, the improvements will give better accessibility to more than 10,000 homes in the borough that are yet to be built. Cllr Pru Bray, leader of the Wokingham borough Liberal Democrats, said: “The improvements are a good thing and I think it is good that they have not done them the same time as the works on the Loddon Viaduct. It seems sensible as trying to navigate through the junction during morning and evening peak times is just a nightmare.

“It should make Wokingham more accessible to both future residents and regular commuters.” Matt Sweeting, divisional director at the Highways Agency, said: “The pinch point programme, the bulk of which will be completed over the next seven months, provides smaller-scale improvements that can deliver big returns by easing congestion and making journey times more reliable for road users, including hauliers and commuters; all of this will help boost local economies and drive economic growth.” Details surrounding the exact start date of the project and lane closure times have not yet been released.

For more information, contact the Highways Agency Information Line by emailing ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk or calling 0300 123 5000.