Aerial footage of the M25 motorway showed relative calm on Friday evening ahead of an “unprecedented” weekend closure of a stretch of Britain’s busiest motorway.

A five-mile stretch of the M25 motorway is closed in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 this weekend, with drivers warned of severe delays. surrey.

The highway will be closed starting at 9pm on Friday and will reopen at 6am on Monday, March 18.

This section of the M25 normally carries 4,000 to 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction between 10am and 9pm at weekends, so disruption from the construction work is expected to be significant.

More than 200,000 vehicles are expected to be affected, including many traveling in and out of London, and to and from Heathrow, Gatwick and Channel ports.

This is the first planned daytime full lane closure of the M25 since it opened in 1986, with the National Highways Agency planning to remove a bridge and install new gantry.

Jonathan Wade, head of the National Highways Programme, said that during the closure, drivers “should only use the M25 if absolutely necessary”.

read: Everything you need to know about M25 closures

There is a diversion route from junction 10 to junction 11 and vehicles are advised to follow the A3 north to Painshill Junction, the A245 to Woking and then the A320 to the M25 junction 11.

In the other direction, cars are told to travel south on the A320 to Woking, the A245 to Byfleet and Painshill junction, then south on the A3 to junction 10.

Drivers are being urged to ignore sat navs and only follow official diversion routes to prevent traffic jams during the “unprecedented” lockdown.

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Map showing diversion routes closed between junctions 10 and 11

Wade said the level of disruption will depend in part on whether drivers insist on official diversions.

“How many people will actively try to use satellite navigation?” he said.

“If people just go about their business and think they can get around the signs and find a shorter or faster route, the risk of congestion may be greater.

“This will cause further congestion at some key junctions so please avoid doing this if possible.”

Daniel Kitteridge, senior project manager at National Highways, said: “If people move off our prescribed diversion routes, it creates additional problems on different parts of the road network.

“Most of the time these are local roads so this does impact residents in those particular areas.

“That’s why we’re trying to encourage people not to follow satnavs.

“Stick to the prescribed diversion route which will better suit your journey.”

The closure is one of five planned total closures between the two intersections. Other dates have not yet been determined.