M25 closure – live: Six miles of traffic on first day as motorway section shut all weekend

(AFP via Getty Images)

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Drivers[1] have been warned to "stay at home" as the unprecedented closure of the M25[2] is expected to cause a "carmageddon" of gridlock traffic this weekend[3]. Miles-long tailbacks had already begun on Saturday in the run-up to the five-mile closure between Junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey[4], 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.

Show latest update 1710633660

Train advice for anxious motorists

A leading railway figure has offered some advice to travellers who risk being caught up in the M25 closure over the weekend, Simon Calder writes. Mark Hopwood, managing director of Great Western Railway, told The Independent's daily travel podcast: "There isn't, sadly, a railway equivalent of the M25 so we can't necessarily replicate all the journeys - but actually one of the great things in London at Farringdon is you can interchange from the Elizabeth Line to Thameslink in about 45 seconds." The central London station of Farringdon will allow anyone coming from Heathrow airport or Reading on the Elizabeth Line to change to a Thameslink train to Gatwick airport, Brighton, Luton airport or Cambridge.

"I think people will find that they could maybe make their journey by train and do it in a decent amount of time," the GWR boss said. "If you've ended up on one of those strange flight itineraries where you need to get from Heathrow to Gatwick, you can do that quite easily." Mr Hopwood was speaking at the unveiling of a revolutionary new battery-powered train for a line in west London.

Athena Stavrou17 March 2024 00:01

[5]1710628200

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." Athena Stavrou16 March 2024 22:30

[6]1710624653

Watch: Closed M25 drone footage captures workers demolishing bridge

Closed M25 drone footage captures workers demolishing bridge

Athena Stavrou16 March 2024 21:30

[7]1710621053

In pictures: Travel chaos as stretch of M25 closed until Monday

An information sign as traffic builds up in Cobham, Surrey, near to a closed section of the M25 (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

(AFP via Getty Images)

A view of traffic approaching junction 10 of the M25 in Surrey during a site visit ahead of a planned closure of both carriageways

(Gareth Fuller/PA Wire) Athena Stavrou16 March 2024 20:30

[8]1710617453

Business owners affected by M25 closure

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 PA he expects to see 50% 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. Athena Stavrou16 March 2024 19:30

[9]1710613853

Parts of M25 see two miles of congestion

Two miles of congestion was seen on the M25 in Surrey on Saturday morning after a section of it was closed. 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.

Concerns have been raised that thousands of drivers will be stuck in gridlocked traffic over the weekend during the unprecedented closure, with one councillor calling it a "nightmare". National Highways South East (NHSE), in a post to X, formerly Twitter, said there were two miles of tailbacks on approach to the closure at junction 10 on Saturday morning.

(PA Wire) Athena Stavrou16 March 2024 18:30

[10]1710608942

Addlestone pub not expecting hit to business over M25 closure

While some businesses have been bracing for the impact of the M25 closure, others were not expecting to be affected badly.

The Black Prince pub in Addlestone said it does not expect the diversion route to affect its business, with one of its staff members explaining customers are mostly local and in walking distance. Andy Gregory16 March 2024 17:09

[11]1710608856

School cancels coding lessons due to M25 closure

Ammara Kanwal, director of Code Kids, cancelled a coding club session due to take place at Cobham Free School on Saturday over fears she would not be able to make it there on time. "It was a bit of a disappointment," she told the PA news agency.

"I am the one who cancelled, it was my business, so I am having to issue a refund for tomorrow. "I mean, nobody wants to travel somewhere for two hours if it doesn't take that long, it's not fair." Andy Gregory16 March 2024 17:07

[12]1710606760

'Multiple vehicle collision' further down M25

Traffic is building up on a separate section of the M25 after a "multiple vehicle collision" between Junctions 5 and 6, some 35 miles away from the closure.

Andy Gregory16 March 2024 16:32

[13]1710605493

Watch: M25 drone footage shows workers demolishing bridge as motorway remains closed

Drone footage has captured workers demolishing a bridge and installing a new gantry on the closed section of the M25.

Miles-long tailbacks had already begun on Saturday in the run-up to the five-mile closure between Junctions 10 and 11.

Closed M25 drone footage captures workers demolishing bridge

Andy Gregory16 March 2024 16:11

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References

1. ^ Drivers (www.independent.co.uk)
2. ^ M25 (www.independent.co.uk)
3. ^ "carmageddon" of gridlock traffic this weekend (www.independent.co.uk)
4. ^ Surrey (www.independent.co.uk)
5. ^ 1710633660 (www.independent.co.uk)
6. ^ 1710628200 (www.independent.co.uk)
7. ^ 1710624653 (www.independent.co.uk)
8. ^ 1710621053 (www.independent.co.uk)
9. ^ 1710617453 (www.independent.co.uk)
10. ^ 1710613853 (www.independent.co.uk)
11. ^ 1710608942 (www.independent.co.uk)
12. ^ 1710608856 (www.independent.co.uk)
13. ^ 1710606760 (www.independent.co.uk)
14. ^ 1710605493 (www.independent.co.uk)