Extreme weather delays £317m M25 project by nine months

A £317 million project on the M25 which has caused severe congestion for several years has been delayed by around nine months due to “extreme weather”.

National Highways said its work to improve Junction 10 of the motorway in Surrey, initially scheduled to end this summer, will now not finish until spring next year.

The government-owned company insisted this “does not mean continued heavy congestion” and “in practical terms most road users will not be affected”.

The project, which started in summer 2022, will increase the number of lanes at Junction 10 – one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.

Jonathan Wade, senior project manager for National Highways, said: “Periods of extreme weather in 2024 delayed some elements of our work, but since then we’ve worked hard to recoup that time and still complete the on-road elements on schedule.

“We’re already seeing some of the benefits of this project, which will help reduce congestion, create a smoother flow of traffic and provide safer journeys for thousands every day.”

National Highways also announced it will close the motorway for two out of three weekends next month to allow the demolition and removal of two old bridges as part of the scheme.

Jonathan added: “This is the final block of closures on the M25 as this scheme nears completion.

“Unfortunately, it’s simply not possible to carry out this scale of infrastructure improvement, which will benefit millions of people in the long term, without there being some degree of short-term disruption.”