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“Keep residence weekend”: that’s the acceptable slogan between 15 and 18 March for motorists who usually use the southwest quadrant of the M25 motorway.
From 9pm on Friday 15 March to 6am on Monday 18 March 2024, Nationwide Highways is to close the M25 in each instructions between junctions 10 and 11. These are key intersections on the southwest quadrant of the motorway. Junction 10 is the place the M25 meets the A3 to Guildford and Portsmouth, with many motorists additionally accessing Chessington World of Journey. Junction 11 serves the important thing hyperlink of the A320 between Staines and Woking, in addition to the A317 to Weybridge.
Nationwide Highways says the closure is “to demolish the Clearmount bridleway bridge and set up a really massive gantry”. It says: “With out a full closure of the M25 at this junction, it will be not possible to soundly demolish the overbridges and set up the brand new gantry.”
Usually round 5,000 automobiles per hour would use the M25 between these junctions at weekends through the day.
The organisation has prescribed a diversionary route that greater than doubles the five-mile distance between the 2 junctions. Nationwide Highways is warning “solely journey is important”.
Travellers accessing Heathrow and Gatwick airports will probably be affected, as will many motorists heading for Channel crossings in Kent.
How unhealthy will it’s? These are the important thing questions and solutions.
Why is the M25 closed?
Nationwide Highways says it’s a part of a “main challenge to make journeys safer and cut back air pollution”.
The organisation says: “The Junction 10 enchancment scheme will see a rise within the variety of lanes to make journeys safer and enhance visitors move. It’ll additionally make it simpler and safer to enter and exit the M25.
“It’ll additionally cut back the air pollution attributable to visitors jams.”
Has this occured earlier than?
Not through the day; there have been occasional evening closures when visitors may be very mild.
The ultimate hyperlink within the M25 motorway round London – between London Colney and South Mimms – was opened to visitors by then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher at 9.30am on 29 October 1986.
Since then accidents, congestion and roadworks have triggered numerous issues. But by no means has a vital stretch of certainly one of Europe’s busiest motorways been utterly closed for a weekend.
This would be the first of 5 closures between now and September 2024.
What’s the recommendation for drivers?
Jonathan Wade, Nationwide Highways Mission Lead, says: “Drivers ought to solely use the M25 if their journey is totally obligatory.
“We now have spent months planning for these closures and ensuring there are diversion routes in place, however there’ll nonetheless be heavy congestion and delays.”
The diversion route entails the A3, the A245 and the A320.
Highway to hell? Diversion route for the M25 when the motorway closes
(Nationwide Highways/Google Maps)
“Taking the M25 within the different route to keep away from our closure can also be an possibility,” Nationwide Highways says.
The organisation’s senior challenge supervisor, Daniel Kittredge, urges motorists to not comply with suggestions of their satnav, and as an alternative keep on with the official diversion. The concern is that gridlock might shortly unfold throughout northwest Surrey.
“If folks transfer away from diversion routes that we prescribe, it creates further points in numerous components of the street community,” he says. “The vast majority of the time that will probably be native roads, so that actually impacts residents in these specific areas.”
Alice Simpson of RAC Breakdown says: “The obvious diversion routes are more likely to get extraordinarily congested.
“It’s at all times greatest to set off as early as doable and keep away from travelling throughout peak hours like late morning and lunchtime.
“Because the M25 is notoriously one of many busiest routes within the nation any enhance in drivers might result in extra breakdowns, and much more jams.”
She says motorists heading for Heathrow or Gatwick airport “should go away much more time to get there”.
Earlier than the M25 opened, journeys between the UK’s two busiest airports have been extraordinarily sluggish and complicated by street. Coach hyperlinks between Gatwick and Heathrow are additionally more likely to be disrupted.
Will any coaches be working?
Sure. A spokesperson for Nationwide Specific stated: “Nationwide Specific will proceed to function companies alongside diverted routes throughout subsequent weekend’s closure of the M25 between junctions 10 and 11.
“Delays are anticipated and clients are suggested to permit loads of time for his or her journey.
“We’re contacting clients who’re affected by the weekend’s diversion to supply a free modification to their ticket ought to they want to change their journey plans.”
A spokesperson for FlixBus stated: “Virtually all our community will probably be unaffected by M25 closures, delivering dependable, inexpensive transport as typical, with solely a handful of companies between Bristol and South Wales terminating at Heathrow between 15 and 18 March as an alternative of going via to Gatwick airport.
“Passengers who have been booked onto these Gatwick companies have been given the choice to both change their date of journey or obtain a full refund.”
Any different route between Heathrow and Gatwick airports?
Sure. The straightforward possibility 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, Nationwide Rail doesn’t provide fares for the entire journey. The answer is to purchase one ticket from Heathrow to East Croydon and one other from there to Gatwick. The whole single fare is £22.30.
With there be different issues that weekend?
Sure. Visitors on the remainder of the M25 is more likely to be a lot heavier; for instance motorists from Birmingham or Oxford taking the M40 to London could determine to go for Gatwick through the northern and jap sections of the M25, growing congestion.
Many key rail hyperlinks throughout Nice Britain are closed – with the absence of trains from London Marylebone to Aylesbury presumably exacerbating issues attributable to the M25 closure.
Further rail closures:
- Exeter and Plymouth
- Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury
- Sheffield and Manchester
- West Highland Line in Scotland
