The M25 has reopened eight hours earlier than planned as essential road works were completed ahead of schedule in Surrey.
The closure affected five miles of the motorway between Junctions 10 and 11 which was closed in both directions from 9pm last Friday and was due to reopen at around 6am on Monday 18 March.
The closure was introduced to allow workers to demolish a bridge and install a huge gantry in its place.
However, the work finished early allowing the motorway route to reopen just after 10pm on Sunday, earlier than expected.
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National Highways warned drivers of long delays
PA
National Highways South-East said on X: “We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone for your patience and following our travel advice.”
The closure had prompted mass delays and disruptions to drivers heading into the weekend and caused panic as people feared they would be stuck in gridlocked traffic.
The outcome of the closure meant there was congestion built up stretching two miles at one point.
However, traffic along the diverted routes through the towns of Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking and Ottershaw was not as bad as feared.
Drivers were prewarned to avoid travelling over the weekend so traffic wouldn’t pile up, this advice meant traffic levels were reduced by more than 50 per cent compared with normal and around half an hour was added to journey times.
Amanda Boote, of Woking Borough Council, said: “It’s actually been a lot better than we expected, it’s not gridlocked in the way that we thought it would be.
“It was built up a bit, but no different to how it might normally be. Actually, residents are quite happy, they’ve been sleeping well because it’s so quiet overnight.”
This was the first time the M25 had been closed for a scheduled event during the day since it opened in 1986.
During the closure, an 11.5-mile diversion route was created to direct traffic along A roads.
The M25 normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles in each direction every hour from 10am until 9pm at weekends between Junctions nine and 11.
The motorway circles London and includes access to busy airports, Heathrow and Gatwick.
National Highways revealed that four more daytime closures of the M25 will take place up to December.
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During the closure, an 11.5-mile diversion route was created
PA
The project which is due to be completed in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes at Junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous junctions.