A five-mile stretch of the M25 in Surrey has been closed in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 for the weekend, leading to significant traffic congestion. The closure began at 9pm on Friday and will last until 6am on Monday, as a bridge is demolished and a new gantry installed.
National Highways South East reported two-mile tailbacks on approach to the closure at junction 10 on Saturday morning. Traffic is also building along the official diversion route through Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking and Ottershaw, with average journey times estimated at 25 minutes.
However, motoring experts and local councillors have expressed concerns that official estimates may be optimistic. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, warned that drivers using satnavs to find alternative routes could worsen congestion. National Highways has urged drivers to stick to the official diversion and avoid minor roads.
The M25 normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction on weekends between junctions 9 and 11. Without mitigation, delays could have reached five hours, but National Highways believes its awareness campaign will reduce traffic by 50%, limiting added journey time to about an hour.
St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey has advised people to only visit if necessary, and some school sports fixtures in Surrey have been postponed. Councillors Malcolm Cressey and Tahir Aziz warned of potential gridlock in the area. Four more daytime closures are planned up to September, as part of a project to increase lanes at junction 10, due for completion in summer 2025.
