M25 closure – live: Heavy traffic at junction 9 and 10 as drivers ‘ignore’ official diversion route

Closed M25 drone footage captures workers demolishing bridge Morning Headlines

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Good progress has been made on the first full day of the M25's weekend closure as workers lifted the beams that will form the new bridge into place.[1] The motorway - which is Britain's busiest - closed in both directions between junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday while concrete beams for a new bridge are installed.

It will reopen at 6am on Monday. Diversion routes take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London's Ulez area, though National Highways has assured drivers "no enforcement action will be taken". However, the highways authority said anyone who ignores official diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the GBP12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Simon Elliott, National Highways senior project manager, said it was "important that drivers follow the diversion route in place" to keep traffic moving well.

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Drivers urged to pack extra food and drink if planning to travel on M25

The RAC advised motorists to avoid travelling if possible and pack extra food and drink if they plan on using the M25 this weekend as stretches of the motorway shut for the entire weekend. Alice Simpson, RAC breakdown spokesperson, said: "As this next M25 weekend closure immediately follows major national rail strikes which could see many more people take to the roads, it could be up to six days of disrupted travel for London's drivers. "The closures also coincide with the retrofitting of new emergency areas on all-lane-running stretches of the M25, meaning delays are likely between junctions 5 and 7 in Surrey and Kent and junctions 23-27 in Hertfordshire and Essex.

"With weekend temperatures reaching 25 degrees or even higher, it's likely that routes around the 23-mile diversion will be busy as people make the most of the fine weather and jump in the car for day trips. "Anyone heading to Chessington World of Adventures, which is close to the official A3 diversion route, should expect delays and pack extra food and drink in the event they're on the road longer than expected. "Holidaymakers heading to Gatwick or Heathrow should leave an hour earlier than usual and allow plenty of time for parking and security checks."

Matt Mathers11 May 2024 11:00

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Traffic flowing fairly smoothly early on Saturday

The key junction on the M25 closure diversion is the A3-A240 interchange at Tolworth in southwest London, travel correspondent Simon Calder reports. It is a large and complex junction that is normally busy with local traffic and many bus services as well as vehicles joining and leaving the A3 trunk road between London and Portsmouth Early on the first morning of the closure, traffic was flowing fairly freely.

But the diversion route passes close to Chessington World of Adventures, which is expected to be very busy over the weekend. The RHS Garden Wisley, close to junction 10, is open as normal. Motorists who decide to take the train instead between London and Portsmouth will find that the main railway line is partly closed due to Network Rail engineering work, with rail replacement buses running.

There are also rail closures between Reading and Guildford, and between Guildford and Ash. 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 the distance covered by almost 100 miles.

(Simon Calder)

Matt Mathers11 May 2024 10:06

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Official diversion routes this weekend

Clockwise diversion for all but over-height vehicles:

leave M25 at junction 8, A217 (Reigate)
follow the A217 London, Sutton, (A240) Kingston
after 3 1/2 miles turn left onto the A240 Epsom, Kingston
after 3 miles at the Esso roundabout, turn right onto the A24 (A240) Kingston
continue for 3 miles and at the Tolworth interchange turn left onto the A3 Portsmouth, Guildford
continue for 9 1/2 miles to the M25 and re-join the motorway at junction 10

Anticlockwise diversion for all but over-height vehicles:

leave M25 at junction 10 to join the A3 towards London
after 9 1/2 miles at the Tolworth interchange leave the A3 turning right onto the A240 Epsom, Reigate
continue for 3 miles to the Esso roundabout and turn left onto the A240 Reigate
continue for 3 miles then turn right onto the A217 Reigate, M25
after 3 1/2 miles turn left to re-join the M25 motorway at junction 8.

Drivers using the signed diversion route won't be subject to any Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charges that may usually apply. The Ultra Low Emission Zone will remain in force on all other routes in London across the weekend.

Matt Mathers11 May 2024 10:00

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Motorists still urged to visit Surrey despite M25 closure

Motorists are still being urged to visit Surrey this weekend despite the closure of the M25 motorway. "Surrey is an enormous county so please carry on as you are," National Highways project manager Jonathan Wade told BBC Radio Surrey. He said the impact from the motorway closure was expected to be "fairly limited to certain areas".

Matt Mathers11 May 2024 08:15

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M25 deserted as motorway closed for repairs

Pictures of the M25 showed the motorway completely deserted on Saturday morning as it closed for repairs. The road closed at 9pm on Friday and will remain shut until 6am on Monday [7] morning while concrete beams for a new bridge are installed. Diversion routes will take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London's Ulez area, though National Highways has assured drivers "no enforcement action will be taken".

Matt Mathers11 May 2024 08:01

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Recap: Why is the M25 closed again this weekend and how bad will traffic be?

"Only travel if necessary": that is the message from National Highways ahead of the second weekend shutdown of the M25 [9]. Full report: Matt Mathers11 May 2024 07:30

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How can I travel between Heathrow and Gatwick airports?

This stretch of the M25 is part of the main route between the UK's two busiest airports.

Normally there are frequent coaches between Heathrow and Gatwick. The easy public transport option is to take the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow to Farringdon in central London, which has a direct connection to Thameslink trains to Gatwick. The journey takes about 90 minutes.

National Express will run coaches between the two airports as well as longer links from Gatwick to other parts of the UK that use the M25. Ed Rickard, network director for National Express, said: "Our dedicated teams have planned our coach service diversions to ensure all of our customers are able get to their destinations safely and as quickly as possible during the full closure of the M25 between junctions 9 and 10. "The previous M25 closure in March was unprecedented, not having been seen since the 1980s, and yet our collective efforts meant that we were able to keep our coach network moving with customers experiencing minimal disruption to their journeys."

The coach firm says people who are booked and wish to postpone their trips may do so free of charge. Simon Calder11 May 2024 07:00

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Why is the closure happening?

National Highways says it is necessary for "the installation of a bridge and gantry" as part of a GBP317 million project to improve junction 10 - which handles 300,000 motorists per day. "Our improvements will reduce congestion, create a smoother flow of traffic and provide safer journeys for thousands every day," National Highways says.

The organisation is promising:

A larger roundabout with extra lanes to increase capacity.
Free flow left turns at all four corners of the junction.
New and safer routes for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
Improvements to the local environment and wildlife.

Alexander Butler11 May 2024 06:00

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Update from National Highways England

Alexander Butler11 May 2024 05:00

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Official diversion routes this weekend

Clockwise diversion for all but over-height vehicles:

leave M25 at junction 8, A217 (Reigate)
follow the A217 London, Sutton, (A240) Kingston
after 3 1/2 miles turn left onto the A240 Epsom, Kingston
after 3 miles at the Esso roundabout, turn right onto the A24 (A240) Kingston
continue for 3 miles and at the Tolworth interchange turn left onto the A3 Portsmouth, Guildford
continue for 9 1/2 miles to the M25 and re-join the motorway at junction 10

Anticlockwise diversion for all but over-height vehicles:

leave M25 at junction 10 to join the A3 towards London
after 9 1/2 miles at the Tolworth interchange leave the A3 turning right onto the A240 Epsom, Reigate
continue for 3 miles to the Esso roundabout and turn left onto the A240 Reigate
continue for 3 miles then turn right onto the A217 Reigate, M25
after 3 1/2 miles turn left to re-join the M25 motorway at junction 8.

Drivers using the signed diversion route won't be subject to any Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charges that may usually apply.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone will remain in force on all other routes in London across the weekend.

Alexander Butler11 May 2024 04:00

[13]

References

^ Drivers urged to stick to diversion route during M25 closure (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715421644 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715418389 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715418044 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715411731 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715410891 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 6am on Monday (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715409031 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ M25 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715407200 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715403600 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715400000 (www.independent.co.uk)
^ 1715396400 (www.independent.co.uk)