- Closure from J9 to J10 in both directions from May 10 at 9pm until May 13 at 6am
- Second of five M25 weekend closures as part of £317m improvement project
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.
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’.
This closure is for the installation of a new bridge consisting of 68 beams, each weighing 16 tonnes, and another four beams weighing 40 tonnes.
Mr Wades said: ‘Drivers listened to our advice last time which reduced motorway traffic levels by over two-thirds and meant delays were limited.
‘Our advice again is please only travel if absolutely necessary and make sure you give yourself extra time if you do choose to use the M25.’
Among the people affected will be those travelling to, from and between the UK’s two busiest airports, Heathrow and…
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .