Motorists who rely on the M25 are in for a disruptive few nights, with 22 planned closures set to hit London’s orbital motorway across four consecutive evenings.
The overnight works begin on Monday, October 5, and run through to Friday morning, affecting carriageways, slip roads and motorway link roads on different sections of the route each night. Restrictions are expected to start at 10pm and last until between 5am and 6am, depending on the location.
The shutdowns form part of a programme of planned maintenance works. Anyone using the motorway for late-evening or early-morning journeys is being advised to check their route before setting off, as signposted diversions are likely to add time to journeys.
The worst-affected stretches
While closures are spread around the orbital, a few sections take the heaviest hit. The anti-clockwise carriageway between Junctions 25 and 23 in north London closes for three nights running from Monday to Wednesday, between 10pm and 5am, alongside the anti-clockwise entry slip roads at Junctions 25 and 24.
The clockwise carriageway between Junctions 16 and 17, near the M40 interchange, shuts on all four nights from 10pm to 6am. Further east, the clockwise carriageway between Junctions 27 and 28 closes on Wednesday and Thursday nights between 10pm and 5.30am, affecting the carriageway, link road and both exit and entry slip roads.
The latest programme follows a run of overnight disruption on the motorway in recent weeks, which we covered in our earlier round-up of M25 closures and diversions.
Night-by-night breakdown
Here is what is closing on each night of the four-night programme:
Monday night: five closures
- Anti-clockwise carriageway from Junction 25 to Junction 23, 10pm to 5am
- Anti-clockwise entry slip roads at Junctions 25 and 24, 10pm to 5am
- Clockwise carriageway from Junctions 16 to 17, including the link road, 10pm to 6am
- Clockwise entry slip road at Junction 22, 10pm to 5.30am
Tuesday night: seven closures
- Anti-clockwise carriageway between Junctions 25 and 23, 10pm to 5am, plus the Junction 25 and Junction 24 entry slip roads
- Clockwise exit and entry slip roads at Junction 24, 10pm to 5.30am
- Clockwise carriageway between Junctions 16 and 17, 10pm to 6am
- Anti-clockwise link from Junction 10 to the A3 northbound at Wisley, 10pm to 5.30am
- Anti-clockwise link road at Junction 5, 10pm to 5.30am
Wednesday night: six closures
- Anti-clockwise carriageway between Junctions 25 and 23, 10pm to 5am, with the Junction 25 and Junction 24 entry slip roads also affected
- Clockwise carriageway between Junctions 16 and 17, 10pm to 6am
- Clockwise carriageway, link road and exit and entry slip roads between Junctions 27 and 28, 10pm to 5.30am
- Clockwise entry slip road at Junction 14, 10pm to 5.30am
Thursday night: four closures
- Clockwise carriageway between Junctions 22 and 23, including affected slip roads, 10pm to 5.30am
- Clockwise carriageway between Junctions 16 and 17, 10pm to 6am
- Clockwise carriageway, link road and exit and entry slip roads between Junctions 27 and 28, 10pm to 5.30am
- Clockwise and anti-clockwise links from M25 Junction 12 to the M3 eastbound at Junction 2, 10pm to 5.30am
Advice for drivers
With 22 closures across four nights, the key message for anyone travelling is to plan ahead. Check live traffic information before setting off, as diversions will be in place while the closures are active and alternative routes are likely to be busier than usual.
- Allow extra time for every journey that touches the M25, particularly late-night airport runs and early shifts. If you are heading out this weekend too, see our guide to the weekend overnight M25 closures for how the diversion routes typically work.
- Keep the fuel tank topped up, as overnight detours on unfamiliar A-roads can be long.
- Where possible, consider public transport instead of driving. London’s rail network has also been disrupted recently, including weekend Tube, DLR, Piccadilly line and Overground closures, so check before you travel.
- Planned roadworks can be cancelled or changed at short notice, so check the latest travel information again on the night before you set off.
London Streets will update this page if the closure schedule changes during the week.
