The main road at California Crossroads has reopened after seven months of disruption.

The project between Finchampstead Road and Nine Mile Ride has faced delays, causing chaos for residents and surrounding businesses.

The road reopened earlier this week, with traffic and bus routes back to normal, Wokingham Borough Council has said.

Work began in February this year. The council said that improvements would be made for pedestrian access to local schools and amenities, including Nine Mile Ride and Gorse Ride.

Avery Corner car park has also reopened for use, after closing on July 24.

However, work is not totally complete – extra resurfacing and road markings will take place overnight from 8pm to 6am until the end of September.

Work will also continue at parking bays outside shops.

This marks the completion of phase two of the project and the start of the final phase, three.

Minor delays had been announced for the reopening of the crossroads, as Wokingham Borough Council had hoped it would happen by August 23.

But drainage and access issues caused the work to take longer to complete than initially expected.

Delays in progress have caused havoc for businesses located at the intersection, including Cresswell’s garages, Londis and Jat’s Pharmacy, some of which reported a 50 to 60 per cent reduction in trade.

WBC previously said it couldn’t afford to compensate businesses, but that it would do ‘everything possible’ to help ease disruption.