M25 closure – live: Six miles of traffic on first day as motorway section shut all weekend
Vast tailbacks already building in run-up to five-mile closure between Junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey
JaneWalter
(AFP via Getty Images)
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Drivers have been warned to “stay at home” as the unprecedented closure of the M25 is expected to cause a “carmageddon” of gridlock traffic this weekend.
Miles-long tailbacks had already begun on Saturday in the run-up to the five-mile closure between Junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey, which was closed in both directions at 9pm on Friday and will remain shut off until 6am on Monday while a bridge is demolished and a new gantry is installed.
It is the first planned daytime closure of the motorway – which encircles London – since it opened in 1986. National Highways said its modelling indicated vehicles would face delays of up to five hours without mitigation measures, such as urging drivers to stay away.
An 11.5-mile diversion route has been created to direct traffic along A roads – and Inrix data suggested there were queues of around six miles along the route at Cobham on Saturday.
The M25 normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles in each direction every hour from 10am until 9pm at weekends between Junctions 9 and 11.
Success of diversion will depend on drivers sticking to it, warns National Highways
National Highways project lead Jonathan Wade has warned that how well the area copes with the M25 closure will partly depend on whether drivers stick to official diversions.
He told the PA news agency: “How many people are going to take the initiative and try and use satnavs? There’s probably a greater risk of congestion by people just doing their own thing and thinking they can perhaps beat the signs and find a shorter or quicker route.
“That will cause further congestion on some of the key junctions so please avoid doing that if at all possible.”
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 14:28
Weekend shutdown is one of five upcoming daytime M25 closures
Four more daytime closures of the M25 will take place up to September.
The project, due to be completed in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes at junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 14:01
Ambulance service warns of ‘challenging weekend’ as businesses brace for turnovers to collapse
South East Coast Ambulance Service has urged drivers to clear the way for ambulances ahead of a “challenging weekend” for crews.
And business owners in the areas along the diversion route have told of cuts they have made to their services in anticipation of traffic.
Mark Pollak, owner of Billy Tong, which caters for events and sells biltong at markets, told the PA news agency that he expects to see 50 per cent of the firm’s turnover for the weekend go “down the drain”.
Mr Pollak said he had to refuse a request for Billy Tong to cater an event in Guildford and had to cancel its stall at Surbiton Farmers’ Market on Saturday, with staff not wanting to face expected traffic to get to jobs.
What other travel issues could there be this weekend?
Traffic on the rest of the M25 is likely to be much heavier; for example motorists from Birmingham or Oxford taking the M40 to London may decide to head for Gatwick via the northern and eastern sections of the M25, increasing congestion.
Many key rail links across Great Britain are closed – with the absence of trains from London Marylebone to Aylesbury possibly exacerbating problems caused by the M25 closure.
Additional rail closures:
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent16 March 2024 13:07
Simon Calder gives update as closure expected to cause traffic chaos
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 12:48
Six-mile tailbacks on relief roads
Queues on relief roads in Cobham, where M25 traffic are being diverted due to the closures, were earlier stretching around six miles, according to data from Inrix, the Evening Standard reports.
The closed stretch of the M25 is only five miles long, while the diversion route stretches 11.5 miles.
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 12:36
Are there alternative routes between Heathrow and Gatwick airports?
Yes. The easy option is to take the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow to Farringdon in central London, which has a direct connection to Thameslink trains. The journey time is about 90 minutes.
Maddeningly, National Rail does not offer fares for the whole journey. The solution is to buy one ticket from Heathrow to East Croydon and another from there to Gatwick. The total single fare is £22.30.
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent16 March 2024 12:22
Affected junctions serve as key intersections
Junctions 10 and 11 serve as key intersections on the southwest quadrant of the M25, Britain’s busiest motorway.
Junction 10 is where the M25 meets the A3 to Guildford and Portsmouth, with many motorists also accessing Chessington World of Adventure. Junction 11 serves the key link of the A320 between Staines and Woking, as well as the A317 to Weybridge.
Travellers accessing Heathrow and Gatwick airports will be affected, as will many motorists heading for Channel crossings in Kent.
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has more details here:
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 11:49
Two miles of congestion leading up to diversion
National Highways has warned of two miles of tailbacks in the lead up to the closed section of the M25.
A five-mile stretch of the motorway between junctions 10 and 11 was closed in both directions at 9pm on Friday and will remain inaccessible until 6am on Monday while a bridge is demolished and a new gantry installed.
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 10:54
M25 closure becomes tourist attraction
Dozens of sightseers are converging on the point where the main diversion route for the weekend closure of the M25 crosses the deserted motorway.
Cars, trucks and coaches are being directed from Junction 10 northeast up the A3, but then go sharply left to head west on the A245 – which is carrying a heavy burden of traffic across the M25.
“It’s absolutely astonishing,” says Simon Vassallo, who has lived in the area for 35 years. He is out early “to stock up on provisions” ahead of the traffic building up.
Mr Vassallo told The Independent: “When we came across the bridge this morning, we just had to stop, take a few pictures and take in the marvel that is an empty M25.”
Another local man, Terry Craig from West Byfleet, is savouring the sight. “It’s quite extraordinary to see the motorway, all of these lanes, just shut off. It’s incredible. Apart from Covid, I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything quite like this.”
Jill Holland, also from West Byfleet, is out for a bike ride. “This is the main road between West Byfleet and everywhere else. Avoid us completely.”
Jill Holland was cycling along the M25 diversion route
(Simon Calder/The Independent)
Andy Gregory16 March 2024 09:58
