‘Stay away from M25 warns National Highways man responsible for weekend closure

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“Avoid travelling completely or find something to do at home: decorate the bathroom or something” – so says Jonathan Wade, senior challenge supervisor for National Highways, forward of the primary weekend closure of the M25. The unprecedented shutdown is being talked about regionally as “carmaggedon”, with 100 automobiles per minute probably jostling for house with weekend buyers.

London’s orbital motorway will shut in each instructions between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday 15 March to 6am on Monday 18 March whereas enchancment work is carried out “to make journeys safer and improve traffic flow”.

Junction 10 is the important thing intersection on the southwest quadrant of the motorway, the place the M25 meets the A3 to Guildford and Portsmouth.

Normally as much as 6,000 autos per hour – or 100 per minute – would use the five-mile stretch of the M25 at weekends.

National Highways has prescribed a diversionary route that greater than doubles the five-mile distance between the 2 junctions and meanders by way of suburban buying areas reminiscent of West Byfleet.

Speaking completely to The Independent’s day by day journey podcast, Mr Wade mentioned the M25-A3 junction, designed within the Nineteen Eighties, “simply cannot handle the volume of traffic that it’s currently being asked to to handle”.

He mentioned: “There’s unfortunately a very high collision rate.”

To scale back congestion and the variety of accidents, National Highways is rising the variety of lanes. To allow this to occur, a bridge have to be demolished.

Mr Wade mentioned an in a single day closure wouldn’t allow sufficient time to take away the bridge.

“Neither can we just partially demolish it and come back the following night, because we can’t leave it in an unsafe condition with the risk of bits falling off it onto the traffic during the day.

“So this is one occasion, I’m afraid, where we really don’t have any choice.

“It’s not going to be a particularly pretty picture over the coming weekend: there aren’t any immediately obvious diversionary routes.

“Please, if you can either avoid travelling completely, find something to do at home – decorate the bathroom or something or play in the garden.

“If you must go: travel by train, walk, use a bicycle. I don’t mind really, what you do.

“Avoid driving anywhere around those diversionary routes around Painshill, Byfleet, West Byfleet on on the eastern side of Woking. It will be in your interests.”

National Highways is urging motorists to disregard sat-navs if the gadgets advocate different routes. The concern is that a whole space of north Surrey might change into gridlocked.

Mr Wade vowed that the deliberate reopening at 6am on Monday would occur.

“If in the very early stages, we see things for any reason not going to plan, we have the ability to pull the later stages

“It’s going to be bad enough closing the M25 for a Saturday and Sunday. The the idea that it should still be closed even at 6am on a Monday morning really is, is doesn’t bear thinking about.

“So we have that ability to to stop later stages of the work.”

“I’m as confident as I can be that the M25 will be open no later than 6am.”

The Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship backyard, Wisley, could be very near Junction 10. The society is telling potential guests: “RHS Garden Wisley will try to remain open as normal throughout and we look forward to welcoming you.”

Coach operators are warning passengers of delays and curtailed routes.

National Express, which connects the UK’s two busiest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, will proceed to run providers, although a spokesperson mentioned: “Delays are expected and customers are advised to allow plenty of time for their journey.”

Travellers can journey between the 2 airports by rail, with a single change of prepare at Farringdon in central London. The journey time is about 90 minutes.

The coming shutdown would be the first of 5 weekend closures of the M25 this 12 months. National Highways will assess the results of this weekend’s challenge earlier than saying future dates.

Listen to Simon Calder’s podcast on the M25 closure