A major road in Woking town centre has reopened on Wednesday morning (January 15) having been closed throughout the busy Christmas and New Year period. From now, both traffic and pedestrians can use the road in both directions.
In a statement released at 10.30am on Wednesday, Woking Borough Council announced: “Victoria Way has reopened to traffic and pedestrians this morning (Wednesday 15 January 2025), marking the end of the temporary closure and restoring access to this key route through Woking.”
The A320 Victoria Way shut on December 7, 2024 after strong winds from Storm Darragh damaged and dislodged panels on the Hilton Hotel building. These dislodged panels posed a danger to both pedestrians and traffic below, and therefore Surrey Police decided to close the road. After around five weeks, the road has reopened and is now deemed safe for public use.
Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, Leader of Woking Borough Council, commented on the reopening, saying: “I am relieved that Victoria Way has finally reopened. The safety of the public has always been our priority and I am glad that the building is now secure to allow the road and footpath to reopen.”
The road’s closure caused disruption to drivers and pedestrians for over a month due to the road being arguably one of Woking’s main routes, passing right through the town centre. Not only this, due to the timing of the closure; being closed over December, disruption was heightened with the festive period being the ‘busiest time of the year’.
On January 7, the spokesperson for the Sir Robert McAlpine building company, the design and build contractor for the Victoria Square development, told SurreyLive: “The repair work on the exterior rain screen panels of the hotel is progressing as planned, with completion anticipated by mid-January.”
The Leader of Woking Borough Council went on to to recognise the “significant challenges” that the closure has caused for residents, businesses and visitors and thanked those affected for their patience during this period. Unfortunately, also in the statement Cllr Baker warned the public that:
“Whilst the reopening of Victoria Way is a step forward, we are pressing for clarity over whether further works may yet be required in due course. Needless to say we are monitoring the position closely and are aware that Victoria Square Woking Ltd is continuing to work with its contractor Sir Robert McAlpine to clarify matters.”