On Sunday, the M25 in Surrey was reopened eight hours sooner than expected following the first scheduled daytime shutdown of the highway.
The section of the highway spanning five miles, from exits 10 to 11, was shut down in both directions starting at 9pm on Friday. It was planned to stay closed until 5.30am for the purpose of demolishing a bridge and installing a large gantry.
On Sunday at 10pm, National Highways South-East announced via Twitter that the M25 was now accessible in both directions.
Worries were expressed about the possibility of numerous drivers being trapped in heavy traffic over the weekend due to the unprecedented closure of the south-west portion of the orbital route.
There was a moderate amount of traffic, with congestion spanning two miles at one time, but the traffic on the new road passing through Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking, and Ottershaw was not as severe as predicted.
Amanda Boote from Woking Borough Council reported to the PA news agency that the traffic situation has been better than anticipated. It has not resulted in the expected gridlock.
The situation was slightly exaggerated, but not significantly different from what is typical. In fact, the local residents are content and have been sleeping soundly due to the peacefulness during the night.
On Sunday morning, National Highways South-East posted a picture of a newly installed gantry being moved into position by a crane. This comes after the successful completion of 24 hours of work to demolish a bridge.
It was the first scheduled daytime shutdown of the M25, the orbital motorway around London, since its opening in 1986.
A group of locals went to the deserted highway to take photos of themselves.
A route spanning 11.5 miles was established to redirect traffic onto A-roads.
The motorway known as the M25 typically has a traffic volume of 4,000 to 6,000 cars per hour, going in both directions. This is primarily observed on weekends between 10am to 9pm, specifically from junctions nine to 11. A significant portion of these vehicles consist of airline travelers heading to, from, and/or between the UK’s top two busy airports, Heathrow and Gatwick.
The M25 will undergo four additional daytime closures leading up to September.
The construction, set to finish in summer of 2025, aims to expand the lanes at junction 10, known as one of the most heavily used and hazardous motorway intersections in the United Kingdom.
Source: theguardian.com
