March 16th 2024.
Heavy traffic was observed yesterday as people rushed to get home before the planned road closures on the M25. This would be the first time in history that the M25 would be closed during the day. However, local residents and businesses are worried that this closure may turn into a nightmare due to the expected increase in traffic volume.
A specific five-mile section of the M25 between junctions 10 and 11 has been closed in both directions and is expected to remain inaccessible until Monday at 6am. This closure is necessary for a bridge demolition and installation of a new gantry. As a result, motorists are being advised to take an 11.5-mile diversion route along A-roads. This has sparked concerns among residents and businesses as they fear the roads will become paralyzed with gridlock due to the influx of thousands of diverted vehicles.
In anticipation of the chaos, people living near the route have already cancelled their plans and stocked up on groceries. Byfleet councillor Daryl Jordan has expressed his concerns, stating that the Byfleet Road, which is close to junction 10, was already congested on Friday afternoon. He also mentioned that residents will be greatly affected by this closure.
Councillor Jordan added, "It is pulling people apart. I mean, you know, when you work full-time and then you’re going to get home tonight from work thinking ‘I must fill the fridge up’ and you can’t even get into your own village. It’s going to be a nightmare. Just going down the road to get milk is going to be a problem tomorrow or picking up your dry cleaning."
In order to alleviate the heavy traffic, the South East Coast Ambulance Service, which covers Surrey, has requested drivers to allow ambulances to pass through in case of emergency. They have also advised people to avoid the area unless their journey is essential. Edmund King, the president of the AA, expressed his concerns about the closure, stating that the M25 is the biggest bypass in Europe and any closure could potentially cause chaos and gridlock.
National Highways, the company responsible for the project, has urged motorists to simply stay indoors if possible. Jonathan Wade, the project leader, advised people to avoid driving in the areas around the diversion route and to use alternative modes of transport such as trains or bicycles. He also mentioned that people could use this time to engage in activities at home or in their gardens.
Business owners along the diversion route have also expressed their concerns about the closure. Mark Pollak, owner of Billy Tong, a catering and market stall business, expects to see a significant decrease in turnover for the weekend. He had to cancel events and refuse requests due to the expected traffic. Ammara Kanwal, director of Code Kids, had to cancel a coding club session due to fears that she would not be able to make it to the venue on time.
The closure of the M25 is expected to have a major impact on traffic, as it normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles in each direction every hour from 10am to 9pm on weekends. This includes many airline passengers travelling to and from the UK's two busiest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick. National Highways has conducted modeling and believes that its awareness campaign will help reduce traffic levels by 50%, limiting the added travel time to around an hour.
The company has also urged drivers not to use their sat navs to find alternative routes on minor roads, as this could cause even more congestion. Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, hopes that their predictions of sat navs adding to the traffic chaos are overstated, as many drivers may be tempted to take alternative routes. He also mentioned that the impact on actual journey times is uncertain, but the modeling suggests that an hour may be added to travel time, which may feel optimistic to those familiar with the frustrations of driving on the M25.
This closure is the first of four more daytime closures scheduled until September. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2025 and will increase the number of lanes at junction 10, one of the busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions in the UK.
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