M25 roadworks - get a grip

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I'm sorry but anyone who lives or works outside of the "golden sphere" that is the M25 has had to deal with road/motorway closures and sudden changes in route/planning for decades.

Why do we have to be subjected to this as "national news"?

FFS they close motorways every weekend in North West, Yorkshire, Midlands, Wales, Scotland and elsewhere on a regular basis.

GoogleMaps was showing the diversion route.
I checked regularly today for four journeys I need to make and the journey times were pretty comparable to normal so it looks like the publicity has been a great success.
I am deciding whether to travel tomorrow. I suspect people may have seen how unchaotic it was today and more will decide to travel.

I think there are a lot of other things to factor in before finalising dates on something as big as this. Consulting local councils, emergency services, other stakeholders, getting the right permissions, making sure they don't coincide with other roadworks close by. Checking which events are going on and planning for that. All this would make it hard to confirm dates that far in advance.

Yes, and I also expect it very much depends on everything else keeping to schedule because things will have to be done in sequence.

It would certainly cause confusion to announce something and backtrack, so annoyingly it will be a relatively late announcement :(

As per pp, I worry that as today has gone ok, tomorrow will be worse, plus I expect apathy will creep in for the future weekends as the novelty wears off, Carmageddon hasn't happened etc.

All I know work wise is that they taking down a bridge and replacing it with a new gantry.

Other than closing the motorway, I don’t know how else they can do it . Obviously there’s never a good time to completely close a section of the M25, other than a weekend in mid March.

To be fair it’s probably the quieter time of year to do it , before Easter in two weeks.

Totally agree it’s a logistical nightmare for anyone affected, but I presume it’s necessary.

I saw some images of the work they're doing, and I thought removing an old bridge and replacing with a new gantry sounded like it would take a lot longer than a weekend, so that's pretty good going if they can get it all done in such a short time. They must be working in shifts.

Yes I thought that too but I suppose they are working to a tight deadline and can only have access to the motorway for that weekend.
Id I imagine it’s all been well planned out behind the scenes.

I live in wales and if I needed to drive to Gatwick this weekend I’d very relieved I’d seen this on national news first!

How much unsubstantiated stuff can someone write in one post, but sound confident when doing so?!

@enchantedsquirrelwood you post as if you live here - I do - but do you really see what is happening on the A3?!

For most of us coming from Guildford towards the Wisley interchange, lane 1 (which is where people should be anyway, according to the Highway Code) becomes random as hell, because essentially it will become a queuing lane.

The backup of traffic of people wanting to get off the A3, and onto the M25 - or worse, get off the M25, and onto the A3, is huge.

But it’s also the fact that if folk don’t get into the left queuing lane early, but move to the middle lane, then try and take the second shorter exit to the M25, that’s where we get the accidents where people in lane 1 won’t give way, or folk on “autopilot” (ugh) in lane 2 don’t see that the person in front is trying to exit …

What we need, is what they are building. A clearer, wider situation where people can use two lanes or equivalent to start to merge off the A3, and allow the rest of the traffic to flow.

I don’t think there will be more accidents, apart from the types who panic whenever they see more than three lanes on a road. If that’s you, then I kindly ask you to take alternative routes when the refurbished A3 opens, and leave the rest of us to enjoy it.

@JacquesHarlow I couldn't agree more. It was a disaster of the junction.

FWIW, I think it's a shame they aren't going to make it a full interchange and will still have a roundabout, but the new slip roads should massively improve the traffic flow and reduce the awful lane craziness.

Do you not research long trips before you go? I always check on Google maps or similar to plan when to leave. There might be a crash or tailbacks on any given day. And if its not a regular route, you wouldn't know how long the journey should take even without traffic.

I find it strange that so many people are saying they'd be stuck without being hand fed this information.

@JacquesHarlow do they still have the road to Wisley open off the slip road, I mean that was never a horrific death trap was it!

Hello @SurreyMumOfOne good to see another Surrey mother on Mumsnet 👋

I didn’t know about the roundabout being retained and agree a full interchange would have been ideal

I am however grateful for the fact the lane increases should , in theory, funnel people over earlier and ensure the lane craziness as you said ends , and hopefully reduces the accidents and near misses

That is disgraceful they haven't a clue when the next four closures will be - it must be pencilled in on their gant charts

Yes, I live near the M25, and having to go on it, at any time, is stress in waiting. 🙄

Problems on it affect the two biggest airports, airports, coastal roads, Dartford Bridge, and ripples out to the M20/A20/M2/A2. And, of course the M3 and A3.

Clackets Lane constantly has problems.

Yesterday was chaos all round, and there are 5 more closures planned around it, before September. Right through the tourist season.🙄

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13204657/m25-closure-motorway-tourist-attraction-empty.html

What, so they're not even going to make it a "proper" merge, like with the M3 and M4?

I agree the reaction is pathetic, Road closes for 48hrs, boo hoo. We live pretty close, I regularly use the M25, it's really not a big deal. This country is just full of wet softies that need to get a grip, completely agree. This sits in the "leaves on the line" "inch of snow" hyperbole box.

Well of course it's "pencilled" in. Imagine how much confusion would be caused if they announced the dates but then had to change them because of delays etc? They can't announce too far ahead because of that.

@SilkFloss No - bigger roundabout with free flow left turning lanes, but not a true motorway junction. Details of p.4 of this document https://assets.highwaysengland.co.uk/roads/road-projects/M25+junction+10+to+A3+Wisley+Interchange/M25j10_2020Brochure_Web.pdf

Lots of info on that website.

The next one must be known at least.
Looks like we are in for a whole summer of travel uncertainty for anyone who lives in Kent Surrey and south London.
Shame it couldn't have been done during lockdown

Hi @JacquesHarlow 👋

@RandomMess Fortunately they're sorting out that death trap. It was like some sort of chicken run trying to exit and cross the lanes to carry straight on up the A3.

They've built a new bridge and are building a new road from it round the south of the A3 which will join in at the Ockam/Ripley roundabout.

They've got the 60 minute makeover team on it, it's all good.

Yep

TBF, if you get off at the wrong junction a roundabout gives you the chance to correct yourself.

Did you get your horse out during the petrol crises too?
And do you have one of those keep calm and carry on posters?

The M25 generally makes me appreciate an automatic gearbox even on a good day.