Motorists are being told to ignore their satnavs and stick to diversions ahead of an “unprecedented” closure of the M25 motorway this weekend.
Drivers are being warned to stay away from a five-mile stretch of the Surrey Highway between junctions 10 and 11, which will be closed in both directions from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday.
It will be 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.
During the planning process, modeling showed that without mitigation measures such as urging drivers to stay away and creating diversion routes, drivers would face delays of up to five hours.
The National Highways Agency believes that because the measures taken are based on a 50% reduction in traffic, the journey will only increase by about an hour.
Jonathan Wade, the state-owned company’s project director, said the region’s response to the lockdown depended in part on whether drivers adhered to official diversions.
read more:
Everything you need to know about M25 closures
Map showing M25 closures and diversions
He said: “How many people will actively try to use satellite navigation?
“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.”
Senior project manager Daniel Kittredge added that moving away from the diversion route would create “additional problems” on different parts of the road network.
But Mr Wade admitted it was difficult to know how long the delay would be as it was “unprecedented”.
This section of the M25 includes one of the busiest motorway interchanges in the UK. Image: PA
He added: “A closure of this nature has never happened before and we really can’t be sure how many people will heed the message we are sending.”
“It is difficult to determine at this time how effective all our traffic management will be. Please do not travel if you can avoid it.”
The M25 typically carries 4,000 to 6,000 vehicles per hour in both directions between junctions 9 and 11 at weekends from 10am to 9pm.
read more:
Passenger “ejected from the roof” after mid-air flight accident
Air traffic disrupted after engineers work from home
The highway will also be closed four times during the day through September.
The project, due to be completed by summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes and hopefully make it easier to enter and exit the M25 at Junction 10, one of the most dangerous junctions in the UK.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
