The re-opening of a road in Finchampstead after a long-term closure has been delayed, Wokingham Borough Council has announced. 

The Ridges has been closed since April 2021 after repair work was required to fix a collapsed segment of the road between the Finchampstead war memorial and Dell Road. 

Initially the council had outlined plans for the road to be repaired and re-opened by spring 2022, however the work is now not expected to be complete until autumn 2022. 

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A road closure has also been in place between the junction with Jubilee Road and the Lower Wokingham Road/Wellingtonia Avenue roundabout since last year.  

The diversion route currently takes drivers through Lower Wokingham Road, Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead Road and Jubilee Road, or the reverse. Residents living in the area have been able to maintain access during the period of closure. 

Engineers have been working on the site to determine what was causing the issue and to produce some viable solutions. 

A solution of soil nails has subsequently been chosen, which involves steel bars and mesh being inserted into the side of the embankment to prevent slippage. 

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Design work has been on-going since October, which the council says has now been completed. An agreement has been reached to invest further money into the scheme which will enable the repairs to start. 

A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council said: “We aim to go out to tender for the works by mid-April, with a view to appointing a contractor in May and works starting on site in June.  

“We anticipate that once contractors are on site, it should take around three to four months to complete.”