Surrey traffic has been heavy throughout the day as cars travel through Byfleet and past Ottershaw
Two miles of congestion have been seen on the M25 in Surrey while a section is closed for a bridge demolition and gantry installation. Photos show people taking selfies on a bridge over the motorway in Byfleet, with traffic being diverted through the village while workers carry out the major project.
A five-mile stretch of the motorway between junctions 10 and 11 was closed in both directions at 9pm on Friday and will remain inaccessible until 6am on Monday. National Highways South East (NHSE), in a post to X, formerly Twitter, said there were two miles of tailbacks on approach to the closure at junction 10 on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, traffic began to build along the main diversion route through Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking and Ottershaw. NHSE estimated the average journey time along the diversion route was 25 minutes, assuring drivers of minimal congestion.
READ MORE: New map shows best M25 diversion route during full closure as drivers warned to stay clear
Traffic and travel monitoring site Inrix reports on Saturday afternoon: “Heading through Weybridge is slow as sat navs re-route people, and roads past Hampton Court are also slow. It’s also heavy on the diversion route.” The official 11.5 mile diversion goes through Byfleet and West Byfleet as well as passing Ottershaw on its way to rejoin the M25 at Chertsey.
It is the first planned daytime closure of the motorway which encircles London since it opened in 1986.
South East Coast Ambulance Service, which covers Surrey, urged drivers to clear the way for ambulances ahead of a “challenging weekend” for crews.
Four more daytime closures of the M25 will take place up to September. The project, 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 motorway junctions. See the photos below for a picture summary of the closure and its impacts.
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