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Reading may need a third Thames bridge, but from Monday, May 18 for two weeks it will be down to just one.

Reading Bridge will be closed completely for structural repairs and the council is warning of “significant” traffic disruption.

The total closure is for essential work to strengthen the 92-year old bridge.

Road users are being given more than 10 weeks’ notice of the full closure as the bridge is a major strategic route for Reading and the wider region.

The structure is now in need of essential strengthening and waterproofing to ensure it can continue to carry the amount of traffic it does in future years.

The strengthening project began in the autumn, with hundreds of cubic metres of expanding foam concrete pumped into voids under the bridge.

The bridge has been kept open to date, but the council announced at the start of the works that complete closure would be necessary towards the end of the project.

This is for the surface of the bridge to be stripped away and for the specialist carbon fibre strengthening works to take place, followed by waterproofing and resurfacing.

That full closure has now been confirmed to begin on Monday, May 18 to run for a maximum of two weeks, including the two weekends.

The second of those two weeks coincides with half term when traffic levels are lower.

Fully signed diversion routes will be in place for the duration of the closure. Further details of these routes will be provided on http://beta.reading.gov.uk/bridges once they have been finalised.

Drivers will be warned of the closures using the council’s Variable Message Signs on routes approaching Reading Bridge.

Reading Borough Council will also be liaising with neighbouring authorities for additional advance warnings further afield.

Reading Buses has been told of the closure and will be diverting services.

Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s lead member for transport, said: “The council announced at the start of these essential works that a full closure of Reading Bridge would be necessary and we are now at the point in the project where we can say with confidence when that will be. The surface of Reading Bridge will be stripped away during these two weeks for specialist carbon fibre strengthening to take place. We have managed to keep the bridge open to date while works continued, but a full closure is the only way this phase of the project is possible.

“Reading Bridge carries an average of 24,000 vehicles every weekday. Any full closure will inevitably cause significant disruption, not only in Reading but across the region. By giving people more than 10 weeks’ notice and by timing at least part of the closure around the half term break, we hope to minimise this as far as possible. I would ask all road users to make a note of the closure dates and, where possible, bear these in mind when planning trips.

“The council has no choice but to carry out these works to avoid the permanent lane closures which would be necessary without this strengthening work. We would ask people to bear with us whilst this essential element of the project takes place.”

Work on Reading Bridge is being currently carried out under off-peak lane closures which are in place Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm.

Over Easter starting on Monday, April 6, it will be necessary to close one side of the bridge to carry out some of the carbon fibre strengthening work and to keep vehicle vibrations away from the work areas.

This will involve both a lane closure and the adjacent pavement being shut for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for up to 20 days. As with previous lane closures, there will still be a lane running in each direction over the bridge and one of the pavements will remain fully accessible to pedestrians. Off peak lane closures will then resume when this section of the work is complete.

After the two week closure in May, off peak lane closures will then begin again until the job is done, currently estimated to be in late June or early July.

Will this affect your journey? What do you think of the news? Let us know in the comments below