Reading IDR flyover lane likely to be closed for 'number of months' after Parcelforce lorry crash

A lane on a road in Reading where a Parcelforce truck crashed is likely to be closed for a "number of months" for repair work.

Reading Borough Council says structural reviews and new barriers are needed for the IDR flyover, which will take several months to complete.

There is no fixed date for reopening but the concrete barriers and lane closure will not be removed any time soon.

A spokesman said: "Following Friday’s (May 17) incident where a lorry broke through safety barriers on the IDR, temporary safety barriers were put in place the following evening.

"This allowed the road to reopen to traffic, but capacity on the flyover is reduced to one lane westbound to accommodate the temporary barriers.

“The council will now need to complete a structural review, commission new barriers and seek technical approval for the new barriers before work can begin on site.

"This means that the reduced capacity in a westbound direction on this section of the IDR is likely to be in place for a number of months.”

The extraordinary incident happened at around 4.10pm on Friday, May 17, and saw the lorry crash through the barriers and onto The Oracle roundabout below.

The driver escaped with minor injuries and no other vehicles were involved.

The incident caused gridlock around Reading town centre and recovery of the van took several hours.