Reminder: Queen's Drive closure, 18 June to 21 September

Thursday, 07 June 2018

QueenÔÇÖs Drive is the road that turns into Whiteknights campus from the Shinfield Road entrance.

Colleagues are reminded to check travel arrangements to and from campus while major maintenance work takes place along Queen’s Drive from Monday 18 June.

Work will take place along a section of Queen’s Drive from Monday 18 June, and is expected to run until Friday 21 September. As a result, Queen’s Drive will be inaccessible to all vehicles, including buses.

The works will be carried out in three phases:

Phase 1 (Monday 18 June - Wednesday 1 August): Russell Building to the entrance to car park 5.
Phase 2 (Thursday 2 August - Friday 31 August): Car park 5 to halfway across road junction between Old Whiteknights House and Estates & Facilities.
Phase 3 (Monday 3 September - Friday 21 September): Halfway across road junction between Old Whiteknights House and Estates & Facilities, to end of blue railings opposite the rugby pitch.

Maps have been prepared to highlight the work taking place in each phase, including diversions for cyclists and pedestrians and nearby bus stops:

View Phase 1 map >>>
View Phase 2 map >>>
View Phase 3 map >>>

Phase 1: important information

The following arrangements will be in place from Monday 18 June to Wednesday 1 August. Please also check our separate announcement on works taking place at Shinfield Road that may also affect travel during this phase.

Vehicular access:

Access will only be available through the Pepper Lane and Shinfield Road entrances.
Car parks 6 and 7 will be closed.
Access to car parks 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be available from the Shinfield Road entrance.
Access to car parks 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 will be available through the Pepper Lane entrance.

Pedestrian and cycle access:

The public footpath which leads from Earley Gate through to Chancellor’s Way and Shinfield Road will remain open for both cyclists and pedestriansthrough the works.
The footpath along Queen’s Drive from the Shinfield Road entrance will remain open as far as car park 5. Diversions will be to the rear of Whiteknights House to pick up the existing signed pedestrian route behind Blandford Lodge.
Diversions for cyclists will go through car park 5 and across the Whiteknights House quad before picking up the internal loop road running past car park 8 towards Pepper Lane.

Buses:

No buses will be able to access the campus during this phase.
Instead, route 21 will call at the bus stops on Shinfield Road at the end of Chancellors Way. There are stops in both directions, into and out of town. (Service 21a is term time only and will stop for the summer from 18 June, resuming in time for Welcome Week in September). Additional routes 3, 9 and 10 serve this bus stops and the town centre, please see the Claret route mapfor full details of nearby services.
However, please see a separate notice about works to Shinfield Roadadditionally closing the bus stops on Shinfield Road between 28 May and 29 June.
During these additional closures, those travelling on the 21 route from the town centre will need to alight at the Christchurch Green bus stop and walk into campus using the Queen’s Drive footpath.
Those intending to use the 21 route into the town centre will need to use the bus stop on the adjacent side of Christchurch Green, just past the row of shops.
Alternatively, you could use the bus stops outside the Pepper Lane entrance for travel in either direction if this is closer to your destination on campus.
Route maps for all services are available on the Reading Buses website.

Phase 2: important information

The following arrangements will be in place from Thursday 2 August to Friday 31 August.

Vehicular access:

Access will only be available through the Pepper Lane and Shinfield Road entrances.
Access to car parks 1, 1A, 2, 3 and 4 will only be available from the Shinfield Road entrance and access to car parks 5, 6, 7 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 will only be available through the Pepper Lane entrance.

Pedestrian and cycle access:

The public footpath which leads from Earley Gate through to Chancellor’s Way and Shinfield Road will be open.
The footpath along Queen’s Drive from the Shinfield Road entrance will remain open as far as the Estates and Facilities Building. Diversions will be to the rear of Old Whiteknights House into car park 5.
Cycle diversions will be as above.

Buses:

Claret 21 buses towards Reading town centre will be able to access campus via Pepper Lane, and so will call at the bus stop on Chancellors Way.
Claret 21 buses from Reading town centre will not be able to access the campus – instead, buses will call at the stop at Shinfield Road, just to the south of the end of Chancellors Way. They will continue on to Pepper Lane as usual.
Alternatively, those travelling on the 21 route from the town centre can alight at Christchurch Green and walk into campus using the Queen’s Drive footpath. The journey can be reversed by using the adjacent Christchurch Green stop, just past the shops. Other routes – 3, 3B, 9 and 10 – can also be taken into the town centre. Please see the Claret route map for full details of nearby services, or the Reading Buses website for all routes.

Phase 3: important information

The following arrangements will be in place from Monday 3 September to Friday 21 September.

Vehicular access:

Access will only be available through the Pepper Lane and Shinfield Road entrances.
Access to car parks 1 and 1A will be available from the Shinfield Road entrance.
Access to car parks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 will be available through the Pepper Lane entrance.
Pedestrian and cycle access:
The public footpath which leads from Earley Gate through to Chancellor’s Way and Shinfield Road will be open.
The Queen’s Drive footpath will be open.
Diversions will be in place for cyclists around the works using the Queens Drive footpath from the Estates and Facilities building to the end of the works for those entering campus from either the Pepper Lane or Shinfield Roadentrances.

Buses:

Claret 21/21A buses towards Reading town centre will be able to access campus via Pepper Lane, and so will call at the bus stop on Chancellors Way.
Claret 21 buses from Reading town centre will not be able to access the campus – instead, buses will observe the stop at Shinfield Road, just to the south of the end of Chancellors Way. They will continue on to Pepper Lane as usual.
Alternatively, those travelling on the 21/21A route from the town centre can alight at Christchurch Green and walk into campus using the Queen’s Drive footpath. The journey can be reversed by using the adjacent Christchurch Green stop, just past the shops. Other routes – 3, 3B, 9 and 10 – can also be taken into the town centre. Please see the Claret route map for full details of nearby services, or the Reading Buses website for all routes.
When the 21a resumes in late September this route will also call at the bus stops on Shinfield Road and Pepper Lane before turning around at the roundabout on Elm Road and entering campus at Pepper Lane.

Why are the works being carried out?

The works will rebuild a collapsed and failed section of road, which was identified after the severe weather conditions earlier this year. Carrying out maintenance work now will ensure that the road remains safe for years to come.

While these works are essential, we recognise that they may cause inconvenience to staff, especially those travelling by car or bus. Should any of the above information change, we will share any updates with you as early as possible.

Ideally, these works would not have been carried out at the same time as the SGN gas pipe replacement work along Shinfield Road. However, given that the University received notice of these works recently and that our maintenance work needs to be completed by the start of the autumn term, it is unfortunately not possible to delay these works.

If you have any queries, please contact Peter Edington (extension 7619).