Drivers facing M25 closure chaos told to go ‘decorate the bathroom or something’ by National Highways

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“Avoid travelling completely or find something to do at home: decorate the bathroom or something” – so says Jonathan Wade, senior venture supervisor for National Highways, forward of the first weekend closure of the M25. The unprecedented shutdown is being talked about regionally as “carmaggedon”, with 100 vehicles 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 key intersection on the southwest quadrant of the motorway, the place the M25 meets the A3 to Guildford and Portsmouth.

Normally up to 6,000 autos per hour – or 100 vehicles, coaches and vehicles 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 two junctions and meanders by means of suburban buying areas similar to West Byfleet.

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

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

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

Mr Wade stated 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 ignore sat-navs if the gadgets suggest various routes. The concern is that a whole space of north Surrey might develop 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 shut to 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 stated: “Delays are expected and customers are advised to allow plenty of time for their journey.”

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

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

Listen to Simon Calder’s podcast on the M25 closure