M25 closures: Dates and alternative routes for Gatwick and Heathrow

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“Stay home weekend”: that’s the acceptable slogan between 15 and 18 March for motorists who usually use the southwest quadrant of the M25 motorway.

From 9pm on Friday 15 March to 6am on Monday 18 March 2024, National Highways is to close the M25 in each instructions between junctions 10 and 11. These are key intersections on the southwest quadrant of the motorway. Junction 10 is the place the M25 meets the A3 to Guildford and Portsmouth, with many motorists additionally accessing Chessington World of Adventure. Junction 11 serves the important thing hyperlink of the A320 between Staines and Woking, in addition to the A317 to Weybridge.

National Highways says the closure is “to demolish the Clearmount bridleway bridge and install a very large gantry”. It says: “Without a full closure of the M25 at this junction, it would be impossible to safely demolish the overbridges and install the new gantry.”

Normally round 5,000 autos per hour would use the M25 between these junctions at weekends through the day.

The organisation has prescribed a diversionary route that greater than doubles the five-mile distance between the 2 junctions. National Highways is warning “only travel is necessary”.

Travellers accessing Heathrow and Gatwick airports shall be affected, as will many motorists heading for Channel crossings in Kent.

How dangerous will it’s? These are the important thing questions and solutions.

Why is the M25 closed?

National Highways says it’s a part of a “major project to make journeys safer and reduce pollution”.

The organisation says: “The Junction 10 improvement scheme will see an increase in the number of lanes to make journeys safer and improve traffic flow. It will also make it easier and safer to enter and exit the M25.

“It will also reduce the pollution caused by traffic jams.”

Has this occured earlier than?

Not through the day; there have been occasional night time closures when visitors could be very mild.

The last hyperlink within the M25 motorway round London – between London Colney and South Mimms – was opened to visitors by then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher at 9.30am on 29 October 1986.

Since then accidents, congestion and roadworks have brought about numerous issues. Yet by no means has an important stretch of considered one of Europe’s busiest motorways been utterly closed for a weekend.

This would be the first of 5 closures between now and September 2024.

What’s the recommendation for drivers?

Jonathan Wade, National Highways Project Lead, says: “Drivers should only use the M25 if their journey is absolutely necessary.

“We have spent months planning for these closures and making sure there are diversion routes in place, but there will still be heavy congestion and delays.”

The diversion route includes the A3, the A245 and the A320.

“Taking the M25 in the other direction to avoid our closure is also an option,” National Highways says.

The organisation’s senior challenge supervisor, Daniel Kittredge, urges motorists to not observe suggestions of their satnav, and as a substitute keep on with the official diversion. The concern is that gridlock may shortly unfold throughout northwest Surrey.

“If people move away from diversion routes that we prescribe, it creates additional issues in different parts of the road network,” he says. “The majority of the time that will be local roads, so that really impacts residents in those particular areas.”

Alice Simpson of RAC Breakdown says: “The most obvious diversion routes are likely to get extremely congested.

“It’s always best to set off as early as possible and avoid travelling during peak hours like late morning and lunchtime.

“As the M25 is notoriously one of the busiest routes in the country any increase in drivers could lead to more breakdowns, and even more jams.”

She says motorists heading for Heathrow or Gatwick airport “will have to leave a lot more time to get there”.

Before the M25 opened, journeys between the UK’s two busiest airports have been extraordinarily sluggish and complicated by highway. Coach hyperlinks between Gatwick and Heathrow are additionally more likely to be disrupted.

Will any coaches be working?

Yes. A spokesperson for National Express stated: “National Express will continue to operate services along diverted routes during next weekend’s closure of the M25 between junctions 10 and 11.

“Delays are expected and customers are advised to allow plenty of time for their journey.

“We are contacting customers who are affected by the weekend’s diversion to offer a free amendment to their ticket should they wish to change their travel plans.”

A spokesperson for FlixBus stated: “Almost all our network will be unaffected by M25 closures, delivering reliable, affordable transport as usual, with only a handful of services between Bristol and South Wales terminating at Heathrow between 15 and 18 March instead of going through to Gatwick airport.

“Passengers who were booked onto these Gatwick services have been given the option to either change their date of travel or receive a full refund.”

Any alternative route between Heathrow and Gatwick airports?

Yes. The simple possibility is to take the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow to Farringdon in central London, which has a direct connection to Thameslink trains. The journey time is about 90 minutes.

Maddeningly, National Rail doesn’t provide fares for the entire journey. The answer is to purchase one ticket from Heathrow to East Croydon and one other from there to Gatwick. The whole single fare is £22.30.

With there be different issues that weekend?

Yes. Traffic on the remainder of the M25 is more likely to be a lot heavier; for instance motorists from Birmingham or Oxford taking the M40 to London might determine to move for Gatwick by way of the northern and jap sections of the M25, growing congestion.

Many key rail hyperlinks throughout Great Britain are closed – with the absence of trains from London Marylebone to Aylesbury probably exacerbating issues attributable to the M25 closure.

Additional rail closures: