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Traffic was back to normal on the M25 in Surrey this morning after weekend works that closed a section of the motorway finished hours ahead of schedule.
A five-mile stretch between junctions 10 and 11 was shut in both directions on 9pm on Friday and wasn’t expected to reopen until 6am on Monday.
However at 10:30pm on Sunday, National Highways revealed that the road was now open in both directions following the successful demolition of the Clearmount bridge.
Work on removing the bridge at the weekend
“We’d like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone for your patience during this weekend’s closure of the M25 J10-11,” it wrote on X.
“The closure was to demolish a bridge and install a huge gantry. The road’s now open again, eight hours ahead of schedule. Thank you again for bearing with us.”
It comes after drivers were warned to stay at home as the unprecedented closure of the motorway was expected to cause a “carmageddon” of gridlock traffic over the weekend.
It was the first planned daytime closure of the motorway – which encircles London – since it opened in 1986.
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Facts about the M25
The M25 normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles in each direction every hour from 10am until 9pm at weekends between junctions nine and 11.
Here are some others facts about the motorway circling the capital city:
- The M25 cost almost £1bn in the 1980s
- Two million tons of concrete were used in construction.
- It was first designed to carry up to 100,000 vehicles each day, but now covers nearly double that.
- Construction was between 1975 and 1986, with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opening the final section
‘Better than we expected'
The closure of the M25 section between junctions 10 and 11 saw a diversion route set up through the towns of Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking and Ottershaw.
There were concerns over traffic build-up along the route, but the situation turned out to be not as bad as first feared.
Drivers were told to avoid travelling over the weekend.
Amanda Boote, of Woking Borough Council, told the PA news agency: “It’s actually been as lot better than we expected, it’s not gridlocked in the way that we thought it would be.
“It was built up a bit, but no different to how it might normally be. Actually residents are quite happy, they’ve been sleeping well because it’s so quiet overnight.”
Drivers had ‘taken on board our advice’ - Highways England
During the closure of the M25 between junctions 10 and 11, a 11.5-mile diversion route was in operation directing traffic along A roads - while Highways England urged people to use the M25 only if “absolutely necessary”.
The removal of the bridge and installation of a gantry resulted in the closure of the motorway section. It will be the first of five closures between now and September as part of a £317m upgrade to the motorway.
National Highways project lead Jonathan Wade told the BBC that the congestion resulting from the weekend closure “wasn’t anywhere near as dire as you might expect”.
He said: “[Drivers had] taken on board our advice, which reduced traffic levels by over 50% and meant the length of time added to journeys was around 30 minutes.”
He added: “Thank you to everyone for their cooperation that has made carrying out work on this major project to make journeys safer and reduce pollution much easier.”
You won’t see the M25 like this again...
Peace on the M25 - it was a rare sight for anyone crossing over a bridge between junction 10 and 11 at the weekend. The motorway fully reopened on Sunday night.
The empty section of the M25, between junction 10 and 11, over the weekend
The closure was to allow for the removal of a bridge and installation of a new gantry
National Highways thanks people for their patience
National Highways has thanked drivers for their patience over the weekend during the M25 closure.
“We’d like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone for your patience during this weekend’s closure of the M25 J10-11,” a spokesperson tweeted on Sunday night.
“The closure was to demolish a bridge and install a huge gantry. The road’s now open again, eight hours ahead of schedule. Thank you again for bearing with us.”
ICYMI: How the M25 became a tourist attraction
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:
“By Byfleet station we emerged from the pine trees, and found the country calm and peaceful under the morning sunlight.”
I recalled that line – from H G Wells’s War of the Worlds – at West Byfleet station in Surrey as I emerged from the first train of the morning from London on Saturday.
In this leafy corner of the home counties, all was “calm and peaceful under the morning sunlight” – until the first Bulgarian truck came thundering through.
The lorry had been diverted from its planned trajectory by the unprecedented closure of a stretch of the M25 orbital motorway around London.
And the A245 between Byfleet and West Byfleet has become part of a diversionary route – as well, I was to discover, as a temporary tourist attraction:
RAC warns of a month of ‘double traffic trouble’
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “With the M25 closures and the Easter getaway both falling in March, it could be a month of double traffic trouble for drivers trying to get around London or access Gatwick and Heathrow.
“Despite fair warning, the reality is most holidaymakers seeking to use either airport will have booked their trips months ago and will have to leave a lot more time to get there – not least because the most obvious diversion routes are likely to get extremely congested.
“If you do plan to drive between the 15th and 18th, we recommend starting your car to test its battery health well in advance of travelling and remembering FORCES to check the Fuel, Oil, Rubber, Coolant, Electrics and Screen wash before making any long journey.”
In pictures: Historic M25 closure over the weekend
An information sign as traffic builds up in Cobham, Surrey, near to a closed section of the M25 (Yui Mok/PA)
A bridge is being demolished and a new gantry installed (Yui Mok/PA)
A gantry being installed overnight on a closed section of the M25 motorway in Surrey (National Highways South-East/PA)
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2024-03-18 04:30:54Z
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