Detours on second M25 weekend closure will be TWICE as long as previous ... trends now
Detours on the second M25 weekend closure will be nearly twice as long as for the first shutdown, officials have revealed as drivers were warned to expect 'long delays'.
The seven-mile section of the motorway between junctions nine and ten in Surrey will be closed in both directions from 9pm on Friday, May 10 until 6am on Monday, May 13 while concrete beams for a new bridge and gantry are lifted into place.
The closure between junction nine near Leatherhead and junction ten near Wisley will see motorists embark on a 19-mile diversion using the A3 and A243 via Epsom, Surbiton and Cobham – with taller vehicles including lorries taking a different route.
This is nearly double last month's 11.5-mile diversion during the first M25 closure on a different section of the road between junctions ten and 11 from March 15 to 18.
There had been fears of traffic 'carmageddon' on those diversion routes - but many motorists followed advice to avoid the area, meaning long hold-ups were avoided.
Concerns have also been raised over possible reduced capacity and delays between junctions five and seven on the same weekend in May, reported the Daily Telegraph.
National Highways said this will be the second of five weekend closures of the London orbital motorway as part of a £317million project to improve junction ten.
Officials also confirmed that drivers using the signed diversion route will not be subject to any Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) charges that may usually apply – although Ulez will remain in force on all other routes in London across the weekend.
Workman on the section of the M25 between junctions ten and 11 in Surrey on March 16 when it was closed in both directions while a bridge was demolished and a new gantry installed
Vehicles queue along the road going into Weybridge in Surrey during the closure on March 16
A closed section of the M25 on March 17 for works to remove a bridge and install a new gantry
National Highways senior project manager Jonathan Wade warned that the next shutdown will be 'far from a repeat of the previous closure' as the diversion routes are 'longer and will be different for over-height vehicles and all other traffic'.
