London, UK – Drivers on the M25 were pleasantly surprised as work on a crucial stretch of the motorway finished ahead of schedule, avoiding the anticipated traffic chaos ahead of Monday’s rush hour. The unexpected daytime closure of the busy highway began on Friday at 21:00 GMT and was set to last until Monday at 06:00.
Despite concerns of significant delays and congestion, the road was reopened in both directions just after 22:00 on Sunday, following the swift completion of the Clearmount bridge demolition. Drivers had been urged to steer clear of the affected area over the weekend, with fears of extensive tailbacks and lengthy delays.
National Highways South-East reported a positive response from drivers, noting a significant decrease in traffic levels by more than 50%, resulting in minor delays of around 30 minutes. Project lead Jonathan Wade expressed his delight at the early completion of the work, thanking everyone for their cooperation in making the project a success.
The completion of this phase is part of a larger £317m upgrade to the motorway, with more closures planned between now and September. The section between junctions 10 and 11 was particularly impacted, prompting officials to advise against non-essential travel on the M25 during the weekend.
This weekend marked the first planned daytime closure of the M25 since its opening in 1986, with an 11.5-mile diversion route put in place to redirect traffic. Despite initial concerns, local residents noted that the closure had not caused as much disruption as anticipated, with some even enjoying the unusually quiet overnight period.
Moving forward, four more daytime closures of the M25 are scheduled to take place leading up to September, as part of the ongoing project set to be completed by summer 2025. The upgrades aim to increase the number of lanes at junction 10, addressing safety concerns and improving traffic flow at one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.