M25 closure – live: Motorway section reopens as National Highways issues update
Junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey reopen on Monday morning following maintenance work
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There was slow moving traffic on parts of the M25 in Surrey on Monday morning as a section of the motorway closed over the weekend for maintenance reopened.
Tailbacks were reported between junctions 9 and 10, closed over the weekend, and on the A243 and A3 - near both junctions.
London’s orbital motorway, the busiest in the UK, was closed over weekend between Junctions 9 and 10 for maintenance.
National Highways said it made “good progress” on installing a new gantry and a new gyratory bridge on a section of the motorway.
Diversion routes tool 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” against those who follow official routes.
We’re finishing our live reporting on the M25 motorway closure.
Thanks for reading and join us again soon for all the latest traffic and travel updates.
Have a good rest of day.
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”.
Pinned post: M25 closed in both directions between Junctions 9 and 10 - mapped
Map below shows section of M25 motorway that is closed until Monday morning.
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 3½ 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 9½ 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 9½ 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 3½ 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.
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.
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.”
Could the work overrun?
Most unlikely, says travel correspondent Simon Calder. The project bosses are well aware that finishing before the Monday morning rush hour is essential.
There are a series of milestones place to make sure the M25 is open for business at the start of the working week.
Last time the work was completed, and the M25 reopened, eight hours ahead of schedule.
ICYMI: Why is the M25 closed again this weekend and how bad is the traffic?
“Only travel if necessary”: that was the message from National Highways ahead of the second weekend shutdown of the M25.
A 10-mile stretch of London’s orbital motorway closed between junctions 9 and 10, southwest of the capital, from 9pm on Friday 10 May until 6am on Monday 13 May 2024.
Full report:
Why is the M25 closed again this weekend and how bad is the traffic?
The motorway is closed between junctions 9 and 10 with a 19-mile signposted diversion in place
ICYMI: 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.
Update: Slow moving traffic on lead up to Junctions 9 and 10
Traffic is slow moving on the lead-up to Junction 9 on the M25, which is currently shut between Junctions 9 and 10 for maintenance work.
There was also slow moving traffic northwards on the A243, where drivers are exiting the motorway on a diversion to avoid the closure.
According to Google Maps, there was also a build-up of traffic at the end of the diversion on the A3, southwards, near Junction 10.
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