A five-mile stretch of the M25 between junctions 10 and 11 will be closed in both directions this weekend.
- author, Shola Lee
- role, BBC News, South East
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Ahead of the unprecedented weekend closure of sections of Route 25, National Highways has advised drivers to “take the train.”
A five-mile stretch between junctions 10 and 11 will be closed to traffic from 21:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Friday until 6:00am on Monday.
National Highways driver Jonathan Wade urged motorists to “avoid the area completely, change your plans, go shopping on Thursday night instead of Saturday morning, or take the train.”
This is the first time that all lanes of the M25 have been systematically closed during the day since it opened in 1986.
The closure will allow the bridge to be demolished and a new gantry installed. This is part of the Junction 10 Improvement Plan, due to be completed in mid-2025.
Mr Wade told BBC Radio Surrey that the improvements would have “long-term benefits”, but warned that in the short term they would cause “massive congestion and delays”.
National Highways is advising anyone planning a trip to London and the surrounding areas to plan well in advance.
Affected travelers may include those heading to Gatwick, Heathrow and Channel ports.
image source, Claire Cowan
This weekend's work will require the first of five complete closures.
“Navi ignored”
“Drivers should only use the M25 if they absolutely have to travel,” Mr Wade said.
He added: “There is probably a greater risk of congestion because people think they can just do their thing and ignore the signs and find a shorter or faster route.”
National highway officials say the closure is to facilitate the demolition of the bridge and construction of a new gantry as part of the ongoing Junction 10 improvement work.
AA president Edmund King said drivers could expect the closure to have a “significant impact” on travel.
The motoring industry body's advice to motorists was to give them a “wide berth” on the M25 in Surrey.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, a car research charity, said: “For motorists whose patience is already being tested by the traffic jams at Junction 10, the words 'we haven't seen anything yet' come to mind.” he said.
The closure is the first of five that will take place between now and September as part of a £317m refurbishment project.
