The section of M25 in Surrey reopened earlier than expected on Sunday, after completing the scheduled daytime closure, which was planned for eight hours.
The section of highway spanning five miles from junctions 10 to 11 was shut down in both lanes at 9pm on Friday and was expected to remain closed until 5:30am. This was for the purpose of destroying a bridge and setting up a large gantry.
At 10pm on Sunday, National Highways South-East announced on Twitter that the M25 was accessible in both directions.
There were worries that numerous drivers would experience long delays in heavy traffic over the weekend as a result of the unprecedented closure of the south-west portion of the orbital route.
There had been some buildup, with congestion stretching two miles at one point, but traffic along the new route through the towns of Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking and Ottershaw was not as bad as feared.
A spokesperson for the Woking Borough Council, Amanda Boote, stated to the PA news agency that the traffic situation is not as dire as anticipated and has been better than initially expected.
The area was slightly developed, but it was not unusual. In fact, the residents seem content and have been getting good sleep due to the peacefulness at night.
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On Sunday morning, National Highways South-East shared an image on X of a new gantry being guided into place with a crane after making “good progress” during the first 24 hours of work to demolish a bridge.
This was the inaugural scheduled daytime shutdown of the M25, the highway that runs around London, since its inauguration in 1986.
Several residents from the area went to the deserted highway to capture self-portraits.
A detour of 11.5 miles was established to guide vehicles onto A-roads.
On weekends between junctions nine and 11, the M25 typically accommodates 4,000 to 6,000 vehicles per hour in both directions from 10am to 9pm. This also includes a significant number of airline travelers commuting to and from the UK’s two busiest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick.
There will be four additional closures of the M25 during daylight hours until September.
The completion of this project, scheduled for summer 2025, will involve expanding the number of lanes at junction 10. This junction is known to be one of the busiest and most hazardous motorway junctions in the UK.
Source: theguardian.com
