M4 Shuts at Reading 18-21 September, Match Day Included

The M4 will be closed to all traffic between junction 10 at Winnersh and junction 11 at Reading from 9pm on Friday 18 September until 6am on Monday 21 September. That is about 57 hours, and it covers the whole of a Saturday when Reading are at home to Notts County.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is doing the work. It needs the motorway empty to string new high-voltage wires across it, the last stage of a repair that started with a tree falling on an electricity tower at Winnersh in February. Winnersh is in Wokingham borough, about four miles east of Reading town centre.

What is closed, and when

• The M4 between junction 10 (Winnersh) and junction 11 (Reading), to all traffic
• From 9pm, Friday 18 September, to 6am, Monday 21 September
• Hatch Farm Way in Winnersh, which runs beside the motorway at the point where the new wires are suspended
• Signposted diversion: the A329(M) and the B3270

SSEN says the signposted diversion is advisory only, and that drivers with local knowledge are likely to find their own way round it. Both SSEN and National Highways expect every other road in the area to be busier than normal (SSEN, 28 July 2026).

Why the road has to shut

In February a tree fell onto a tower carrying a major part of SSEN’s network at Winnersh. The line was switched off immediately and the network re-routed. The tower was badly damaged, and both it and the lines it carried over the M4 were removed.

A replacement tower went up at Winnersh in July, after months of design and site preparation. What is left is running the new wires across the motorway.

Jo Niven, SSEN Distribution’s head of capital, maintenance and inspection investment, said: “Closure of the M4 between junctions 10 and 11 for the weekend of 19-20 September is the only safe, practical way to do this.”

SSEN says the job relies partly on human sight, which rules out working overnight and means it is better done before the days shorten. It picked the weekend to avoid the main holiday season and the big summer events.

Reading FC: expect significant disruption

Reading Football Club asked whether the work could be moved to another weekend before SSEN’s completion deadline. It has been told that is not possible, because of operational arrangements already in place.

In a statement published on 26 August, the club said it remained disappointed that it was not consulted before the closure was announced, but recognised the work is essential. It is now working with SSEN, National Highways and local partners on measures to help supporters plan journeys.

Supporters going to the Notts County game “should expect significant disruption to the road network”, the club said, and are “strongly encouraged to plan ahead and allow additional time”. More detailed travel advice will follow before the fixture (Reading FC, 26 August 2026).

What it means for you

This is not a lane closure or an overnight job. For a whole weekend there is no motorway between Winnersh and Reading, so through traffic and Reading-bound traffic will be sharing the same local roads.

• If you are driving to the football, allow far more time than usual, or use the train. The Select Car Leasing Stadium is off junction 11, the western end of the closed stretch.
• If you are heading to Heathrow or London by road that weekend, the A329(M) and B3270 diversion will be carrying motorway volumes. Consider the train from Reading instead: our guide to Reading train times to London has the fastest services and the ticket rules.
• If you live near the diversion, in Winnersh, Earley or along the B3270, expect standing traffic on residential roads for most of Saturday and Sunday.
• If you live on Hatch Farm Way, the road itself is shut for the weekend.

The closure is three weeks away, which is the point of announcing it now. Check our Reading roadworks and travel page nearer the date for the confirmed diversion signing and anything else running that weekend.

The dates in one place

Sources: SSEN’s closure announcement and Reading FC’s statement of 26 August 2026. The club says it will publish detailed travel advice for the Notts County fixture nearer the date.