M25 reopens seven hours ahead of schedule

The M25 in Surrey has reopened seven hours ahead of schedule after being shut all weekend between junctions nine and 10 for roadworks, National Highways said.

The stretch of road, between the A243 Leatherhead and the A3 Wisley, has been closed in both directions since 21:00 BST on Friday.

It was so a new bridge consisting of 72 beams, each weighing 16 tonnes, and a further four beams, weighing 40 tonnes, could be installed.

National Highways said on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday the works had been completed early and the motorway was open in both directions.

At about 13:30, Surrey Highways said there were major delays in West Byfleet along the Parvis Road.

It said there was also congestion in Leatherhead, Oxshott and surrounding areas, including Weybridge, Cobham and Walton-On-Thames.

Four diversion routes have been in place between Gatwick and Heathrow. Two in either direction for regular traffic and two for overheight vehicles.

The diversion routes take cars on a 19-mile (31km) journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London's Ulez area, but National Highways says "no enforcement action will be taken".

However, it warned people they could receive penalty charges under Ulez rules if they strayed off official diversion routes over the weekend.

On Saturday, National Highways said it had seen an increasing number of motorists choosing to ignore the diversion route - starting at junction eight - and instead continuing on the motorway to the next junction.

The M25 works are part of a project to improve safety and reduce pollution.

In March, a five-mile (8km) stretch of the M25 was shut between junctions 10 and 11.

It was the first time there had been a scheduled daytime shutdown of all lanes since the motorway opened in 1986.

The improvement scheme, which is part of a £317m upgrade to the motorway, will see an increase in the number of lanes in an attempt to make journeys safer and a new junction layout to improve traffic flow.

Three more closures are planned before the end of 2024, with the next one organised for August.

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