Work on road shut for nearly one year extended again

Work on a road shut 11 months ago for major sewer repairs has been extended again.

The junction of Bennet Road and the A33 in Reading has been closed since 18 October after a trunk sewer, about 1m (41in) wide, collapsed.

Since then Thames Water has issued rolling notifications to keep the closure in place, with the latest lasting until 10 October, close to the first anniversary of the junction being closed.

A spokesperson said: "We are making good progress on an extremely complex repair, with work inside the sewer, deep underground over the past three weeks."

While access to businesses along Bennet Road has been maintained, drivers are unable to get from the road to the A33 junction for the Select Car Leasing Stadium and Green Park.

In June, an exit from Bennet Road onto the A33 southbound was opened.

Driver Adam Quanstrom said: "It was supposed to be done on September 10, then it was extended to September 30, and unfortunately it's been extended again."

"It is an absolute joke right now on this road, and they allow this level of incompetence, inconveniencing businesses and road users.

"It's disgraceful, it's disgusting and absolutely unacceptable on a new level. Why has this been allowed?"

The water company has faced multiple issues during the repairs, including the depth of the sewer, unstable ground conditions, high groundwater levels, and a high-voltage cable that had to be moved.

To mitigate the problems, engineers dug a shaft about 10.5m (34ft) deep as part of the "very dangerous" work.

Two sinkholes were found during the investigation work.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said engineers would shortly complete the work in the sewer and start filling the deep shaft, with engineers "working 24/7 to ensure Bennet Road fully reopens by our target date".

It said a "huge" amount of investigation and preparatory work had to be completed prior to the repair "as the health and safety of the local community, businesses and our staff is our overriding priority".

Engineers have excavated more than 250m3 (8,828 ft3) of soil and pumped 190 tonnes of grout through 136 bore holes to a depth of up to 14m (46ft).

This was to ensure the "long-term integrity of the road", the company said.