M25 work ‘on schedule’ ahead of Monday morning rush hour
Work on the M25 is “on schedule” as crew continue to race against time to complete construction work before one of the country’s busiest stretches of motorway will reopen on Monday morning.
It comes after drivers braced for a third day of travel chaos following the unprecedented weekend closure of the five-mile stretch of motorway.
The shutdown has allowed a bridge to be demolished and a new gantry installed. The work, which National Highways said overnight had made “good progress”, is part of a huge £317m improvement project for the M25.
The next project is set to begin in April with works finalised by at least summer 2025, National Highways said.
The finished revamp will increase the number of lanes and make it easier to enter and exit at junction 10 – which National Highway said is one of the UK’s most dangerous motorway junctions.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
There had been fears that drivers would find themselves in total gridlock when the road was closed off in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 at 9pm Friday, but traffic appeared to remain better than expected despite some lengthy delays.
“Gantry installed overnight and works remain on schedule,” National Highways for the Southeast said in a post on X midday Sunday.
“The M25 remains closed in both directions between J10 and J11. Please consider alternative routes and only travel on the M25 and diversion route if necessary.”
National Highways had previously warned drivers to “stay away” from the area and only use the M25 if “absolutely necessary” throughout the 57-hour shutdown. The stretch usually sees some 200,000 travellers across a typical weekend.
The worst traffic was reported on Saturday when motorists faced a huge six-mile tailback on the approach to the shutdown road.
There were also reports of congestion on Sunday morning on the approach to the closed-off road, as well as the A3, which intercepts the motorway.
Along the official diversion route through the usually quiet villages of Byfleet and Ottershaw, slow traffic was reported on the A245.
The shutdown was the first scheduled daytime closure of all lanes on the M25 since it was opened in 1986.
A diversion currently remains in place until 6am Monday when National Highways is scheduled to reopen the five-mile stretch ahead of rush hour.
