A temporary pedestrian crossing will be set up on Wednesday morning after the rush hour. From that stage traffic lights will be turned off, the central lanes shut.

The junction will then be run as a normal roundabout until the next stage of improvement work is complete. Two new crossings will be added on the A3290 and Reading Road to supplement the one already in place on Loddon Bridge.

John Kaiser, Wokingham Borough executive member for general planning and highways, said: “Basically, the roundabout is worn out. There are 64 signals at that junction. It’s very complicated.

“What we’re doing is putting in some smarter stuff so we can turn off individual lights if there’s a problem and the lights will be linked to a call centre so we will know instantly if there’s a problem.

“I think it is the key junction in the borough. There’s a balancing act between the people trying to cross the road and motorists driving into work. Safety will also override congestion in that circumstance.” The roundabout is well used by both cyclists and pedestrians including children on their way to and from nearby schools.

The lights on the roundabout have failed a number of times over winter, most recently on December 31 last year.

Improvement works on the roundabout began on November 5 last year and were expected to be completed at the end of February.