Barkham Road stays shut to 13 November. Network Rail has a 24/7 Warren Road, Woodley closure listed from 12 October, and Tag Lane shuts 12 October to February.

Barkham Road is still closed between The Bull and the Bearwood Road roundabout. Thames Water shut it on Monday 14 September to lay a new trunk main, and Reading Buses says the closure runs until Friday 13 November (Reading Buses).

Two new long closures have appeared on the council’s works sheet this week:

  • Warren Road, Woodley: closed 24 hours a day from 12 October, for Network Rail work on the railway cutting. The permit runs to 28 April 2028. What we know is below.
  • Tag Lane, Hare Hatch: closed from 12 October to 5 February 2027. It had dropped off the sheet last week. Details below.

This page covers what is closed across Wokingham borough now, what starts in the next three weeks, and the evergreen answers on routes, parking and park and ride. The council publishes its works list at wokingham.gov.uk/roads/roadworks, with a street-by-street sheet updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday and live detail on one.network. The dates below come from that sheet as updated on 25 September 2026, which runs to mid-October.

Barkham Road: closed to 13 November, with a shuttle bus

The closure runs between the Bearwood Road roundabout and the Barkham Street roundabout by The Bull pub. It is phase 3 of Thames Water’s Arborfield trunk main scheme, which is replacing about 2.6km of old cast iron main.

The two published end dates do not match. Reading Buses, which has had to plan a replacement service around it, says Friday 13 November. Thames Water’s own project page still gives the phase as “mid-September to mid-December 2026” and marks all its timings indicative. The council permit for the wider scheme runs to 30 June 2027, because the work carries on eastwards afterwards.

What Reading Buses has put in place:

  • leopard 3 diverts via Barkham Street, Barkham Ride, Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane in both directions to and from Wokingham.
  • It cannot serve any stop on Barkham Road between The Bull and Molly Millars Lane.
  • A shuttle bus runs between Bearwood Road and Wokingham, 6.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday only. There is no shuttle at weekends.

Thames Water says residents, businesses and emergency services keep access, that diversions are signed, and that bus stops near The Bull and along Barkham Road may move or close. Its works line for the scheme is 0800 316 9800, reference BB01068603.

What it means for you: if you live in Barkham or Arborfield and normally drive through to Wokingham on Barkham Road, budget for the Finchampstead Road diversion until at least 13 November. If you use the leopard 3 from a Barkham Road stop, that stop is not being served at all, and the shuttle does not run on Saturdays or Sundays.

Bearwood Road has reopened

Thames Water’s project page now records phase 1, Highlands Avenue to The Lilacs, as complete, and says Bearwood Road has been fully reinstated. The council’s works sheet still carries a Thames Water permit on Bearwood Road to 30 September, but it is logged as “no carriageway incursion”, which is the record of a permit being wound down rather than a closure.

Note that the council’s own roadworks page has not caught up. It is stamped “Last updated: 6th March 2026” and its prose still tells residents that Thames Water is “closing and diverting part of Bearwood Road in Barkham from Monday 9 February until late September”. The works sheet it links to is the current document; the page around it is not.

The phases still to come on this scheme:

  • Phase 4: Barkham Street roundabout to the bridge, east side, early February to late March 2027.
  • Phase 5: the bridge, west side, to School Road, late March to mid-May 2027.
  • Phase 6: School Road to Langley Common Road, mid-May to late June 2027.

Warren Road, Woodley: a closure listed until April 2028

The council’s works sheet now lists a road closure on Warren Road in Woodley from Monday 12 October 2026 to 28 April 2028. Network Rail is the works promoter. The sheet describes the job as “cutting stabilisation works to railway embankment”, with the road “closed 24/7” to give access to the railway, room for welfare facilities and a working area to remove excavated material and vegetation.

Network Rail already has a works compound on Warren Road, listed from 14 September to 1 April 2028, which does not affect the carriageway. A second compound is listed on Old Bath Road, Woodley, from 12 October 2026 to 12 October 2027, also without a carriageway closure.

What we cannot confirm yet: Network Rail has not published anything about this scheme that we can find. The sheet does not say which part of Warren Road closes, what the diversion is, or whether residents keep access. A permit end date is the latest the work is allowed to run, not a promise that the road stays shut for all 581 days. We will add Network Rail’s details when it publishes them.

What it means for you: if you use Warren Road, plan for it to be shut from 12 October and check the signs on site for the diversion.

Tag Lane, Hare Hatch: closed 12 October to 5 February

Tag Lane is back on the council’s works sheet. Thames Water has a road closure from 12 October 2026 to 5 February 2027 to renew the water main.

This job has moved several times. The sheet of 14 September listed it from 21 September to 11 January, after an earlier start of 7 September. The sheet of 18 September left it off entirely. Go by the advance warning signs on site.

Easthampstead Road, closed until January 2027

Easthampstead Road is closed between Star Lane and Heathlands Road until 15 January 2027. It is the construction site of the South Wokingham Distributor Road, the new route from Finchampstead Road to London Road across the south of the town (council).

Three sections are already open: William Heelas Way and the Eastern and Western Gateways. A new link road, White Horse Ride, opened at the end of May 2026. The central section now being built is due to finish by early 2027.

Woodley and Earley: Culver Lane and the station footbridge

Culver Lane, Earley, closes from 3 October to 16 November on the works sheet, for the Woodley to Reading cycle and pedestrian route. The council’s construction page, last updated on 9 September, still gives this section a start of 21 September, with a diversion via Church Road and Wokingham Road. The section from Woodlands Avenue to Palmerstone Road is still “TBC” there.

The footbridge at Earley station closes from mid-October to April 2027, for a refurbishment of the 1970s structure. Earley Town Council published the details on 18 September (Earley Town Council):

  • the Earley station car park closes to become the site compound; the suggested alternative is the Winnersh Triangle park and ride
  • the walking diversion runs via Station Road, Wokingham Road, Henley Wood Road, the Henley Wood subway, Dartington Avenue and Nightingale Road

No exact start date has been published yet.

How much longer? What is closed or restricted

Bar chart of days left on the main Wokingham borough road closures, counted from 25 September 2026: Milton Road 7 days, Church Road Swallowfield 17 days, Barkham Road 49 days, Culver Lane 52 days, Easthampstead Road 112 days, Tag Lane 133 days, Warren Road 581 days. Culver Lane, Tag Lane and Warren Road have not started yet.
Chart by Wokingham Online. Dates can move; check one.network for live detail before a journey that depends on one road.
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Road closures running now

  • Barkham Road, Barkham: closed between The Bull and Bearwood Road since 14 September, to 13 November (see above).
  • Milton Road, Wokingham: closed to 2 October. SGN is replacing old iron gas mains with new plastic pipe.
  • Aston Lane, Aston: closed to 2 October, a new council drainage system. Extended from 27 September.
  • Easthampstead Road, Wokingham: closed to 15 January 2027.
  • Gipsy Lane, Wokingham: closed to 29 September, South East Water repairing a leak.
  • Luckley Road, Wokingham: closed to 26 September for resurfacing.
  • Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield: closed to 25 September, SGN service connection.

Closures starting in the next three weeks

  • Waltham Road, Ruscombe: 27 to 28 September, Network Rail bridge inspection.
  • Church Road, Swallowfield: 28 September to 12 October, repair works on the bridge that was struck earlier this year.
  • Barkham Road, Wokingham (level crossing): 28 to 29 September, Network Rail signal and telecoms maintenance.
  • Upper Culham Lane, Remenham Hill: 28 September to 6 November, SGN replacing about 909m of old gas main.
  • Swallowfield Road, Arborfield: 30 September to 2 October, replacing a damaged frame and cover.
  • Old Bath Road, Charvil: 1 to 2 October, returning to a resurfacing defect.
  • Duffield Road, Woodley: 1 to 2 October, resurfacing.
  • Swallowfield Bypass: 2 to 3 October, resurfacing.
  • Culver Lane, Earley: 3 October to 16 November, the cycle route (see above).
  • Pheasant Close, Winnersh: 5 to 30 October, excavating the carriageway to about 500mm.
  • Robin Hood Lane, Winnersh: 5 October to 6 November, SGN replacing 148m of gas main.
  • Waterloo Road, Wokingham: 8 October, SSEN taking down four poles and a stay wire that crosses the road.
  • Warren Road, Woodley: from 12 October, Network Rail (see above).
  • Tag Lane, Hare Hatch: 12 October to 5 February (see above).
  • Dunt Avenue, Hurst: 12 to 16 October, Thames Water supply connection.
  • Remenham Lane, Remenham: 13 to 15 October, CityFibre.

Traffic signals worth planning around

  • Church Road, Swallowfield: two-way signals to 31 December, with the full closure above from 28 September.
  • Bath Road, Knowl Hill: multi-way signals to 9 October, Thames Water mains renewal, running since January. Extended from 25 September.
  • Eskdale Road, Winnersh: multi-way signals to 29 September, cable ducting for a new substation at Winnersh Triangle. Extended again, from 25 September.
  • Barkham Road, Wokingham: multi-way signals to 30 September, SSEN fault location.
  • Church Street, Twyford: multi-way signals to 28 September, SSEN fault location.
  • Finchampstead Road, Finchampstead: two-way signals to 28 September, South East Water repairing a burst main.
  • Longwater Road, Finchampstead: 28 September to 2 October, a new water main.
  • Church Road, Earley: 29 to 30 September, Virgin Media.
  • Beech Lane, Earley: 5 to 9 October, drainage investigations.
  • High Street, Wargrave: 5 to 23 October, a traffic signal upgrade.
  • Loddon Bridge Road, Woodley: 6 to 8 October, SSEN repairs, plus one-day patching on 28 September and 5 October.
  • Easthampstead Road, Langborough Road and Murdoch Road, Wokingham: 12 to 16 October, SSEN trial holes for a new power supply.

The council is also running one-day patching jobs with signals on roads across Woodley, Hurst, Wargrave, Shinfield and Arborfield. All are on the council’s list.

SGN’s compound on Woodward Close in Winnersh runs to 24 December, and a second at White Hill, Remenham Hill, from 28 September to 26 February 2027. Neither affects the carriageway.

Trains: the rugby, and three Staines weekends

South Western Railway runs the Wokingham, Winnersh and Earley trains to London Waterloo. What its engineering pages list for the Reading line (September, October):

  • Saturday 26 September: no engineering work, but there is rugby at Twickenham with a 3pm kick-off. Waterloo to Reading trains depart earlier from Reading through most of the day, at xx05 and xx35, and trains leaving Reading from 4pm to the end of service call additionally at Putney. The 1748 Waterloo to Reading departs at 1758, and the 1818 departs at 1828.
  • Sunday 27 September: the Staines area closes all day. Waterloo to Reading trains are diverted between Clapham Junction and Virginia Water, calling additionally at Wimbledon, Surbiton, Weybridge, Addlestone and Chertsey. The Reading to Basingstoke line also closes all day.
  • 3 and 4 October, and 10 and 11 October: the Staines area closes all weekend, with Waterloo to Reading trains diverted the same way. The Guildford area also closes on 10 and 11 October.
  • Sunday 18 October: the Twickenham area closes. Waterloo to Reading trains leave Waterloo earlier and run via Putney and Feltham, calling additionally at Barnes and Hounslow.

Twyford is on the Great Western line and is not covered by this list.

For normal service patterns, fares and the last train home, see our Wokingham trains to London guide.

Barkham Road closure: the questions people ask

Is Barkham Road closed right now?

Yes. It has been closed between The Bull and the Bearwood Road roundabout since Monday 14 September, for Thames Water’s trunk main work.

How long is Barkham Road shut for?

Reading Buses, planning its replacement service, says until Friday 13 November. Thames Water’s project page still describes this phase as mid-September to mid-December and calls all its dates indicative. The council permit for the wider scheme runs to 30 June 2027, because later phases move east through Barkham to Langley Common Road.

What is the diversion?

Thames Water says diversions are signed. Reading Buses has published the route its leopard 3 buses take: Barkham Street, Barkham Ride, Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane.

Is there a bus?

Yes, but only on weekdays. Reading Buses runs a shuttle between Bearwood Road and Wokingham from 6.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Stops on Barkham Road between The Bull and Molly Millars Lane are not being served.

Is Bearwood Road still closed?

No. Thames Water says it has been fully reinstated and reopened to traffic.

Can I still get to my house on Barkham Road?

Thames Water says residents, businesses and emergency services will keep access. Its works line for this scheme is 0800 316 9800.

The evergreen picture: how traffic moves around the borough

The borough hangs off a handful of routes, and knowing which is which explains most local jams:

  • M4 Junction 10 (Winnersh) and Junction 11 (Reading) are the motorway access points. J10 connects to the A329(M), the four-mile motorway spur from Bracknell past Winnersh that continues toward Reading as the A3290.
  • A329 is the old road the motorway parallels: London Road and Reading Road through Wokingham town.
  • B3270 Lower Earley Way carries Earley and Lower Earley traffic to the M4 and the Showcase corner. It is also the M4’s signed diversion route, so it suffers whenever the motorway does.
  • A327 carries the Arborfield and Finchampstead corridor. The Nine Mile Ride Extension, opened in 2022, links it to Park Lane for the 3,500 homes going up at the former garrison (council).
  • The Winnersh Relief Road is open, connecting Lower Earley Way to King Street Lane and the A329 (council). The next big junction scheme, the Woosehill roundabout on the A329 Reading Road, has no construction date yet (council).

Parking and park and ride

  • Wokingham station car park: 531 spaces, £4.90 off-peak day, £9.70 peak day, paid via RingGo (SWR).
  • Town centre: the council runs Carnival Multi-Storey, Cockpit Path, Denmark Street, Rose Street, Easthampstead Road and Shute End car parks. Short-stay Rose Street is £1.60 an hour with a two-hour maximum (council car parks). More on rates and rules in our parking in Wokingham guide.
  • Winnersh Triangle park and ride: 487 spaces, with the Reading Buses 500 running to Reading town centre four times an hour daytime Monday to Saturday. Parking without the bus is £4.30 for 12 daytime hours (council). A second park and ride sits at Coppid Beech on the A329 London Road.

Buses, briefly

Reading Buses’ branded leopard 3 (Reading to Wokingham via the Royal Berkshire Hospital) and lion 4/4a (Reading to Bracknell via Wokingham) are the workhorse routes (Reading Buses). The leopard 3 is the route affected by the Barkham Road closure. The council agreed in May to put an extra £500,000 a year into supported routes, with new contracts on 21 routes from April 2027 (council).

What it means for you

  • Barkham and Arborfield: Barkham Road is shut until at least 13 November. The leopard 3 diverts and skips its Barkham Road stops, and the replacement shuttle runs weekdays only.
  • Woodley: Warren Road is listed to close around the clock from 12 October, for a Network Rail job with a permit to April 2028. Duffield Road is resurfaced on 1 and 2 October.
  • Earley: Culver Lane closes from 3 October to 16 November, and the station footbridge and car park close from mid-October.
  • Hare Hatch and Wargrave: Tag Lane closes from 12 October to 5 February. Wargrave High Street has signals from 5 to 23 October.
  • Swallowfield: Church Road closes fully for the bridge repair from 28 September to 12 October, and the bypass is resurfaced on 2 and 3 October.
  • Winnersh: two long closures start on 5 October, Robin Hood Lane and Pheasant Close.
  • Rail passengers: the rugby changes Reading departure times on 26 September, and Sunday 27 September plus two October weekends divert trains around Staines.

Dates change at short notice. The council’s roadworks list is updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and one.network carries the live map.

Sources

Verified against the council’s works sheet updated 25 September 2026 and the linked sources on 25 September 2026. The M4 closure between junctions 10 and 11 and the overnight A3290 closures in Earley, both covered in earlier versions of this page, were scheduled to end on 21 and 24 September and have been removed. Closure dates move; always check the live map before a journey that depends on one road.