A route U4 bus in Hayes — the U4 is one of three routes diverted after the Mildred Avenue crash (Panhard, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons).
A road near Heathrow was closed in both directions early this morning after a crash, forcing three bus routes to divert while emergency services dealt with the scene.
Mildred Avenue was blocked at Waltham Avenue after the collision was first reported at around 5.17am on Thursday. The closure remained in place through the early-morning rush, with traffic management in place at the junction.
Bus routes 696, 698 and U4 were all diverted because of the blockage. Passengers travelling through the area were told to check their journeys and allow extra time, particularly during the morning peak.
What happened
Further details about the collision, including how many vehicles were involved or whether anyone was injured, have not yet been confirmed. The emergency services were contacted for more information, and live coverage of the incident has now ended.
Traffic information suggested that, despite the closure, congestion in the surrounding area was not severe, with traffic coping well on the diversion routes through the morning.
An airport corridor under strain
Mildred Avenue sits in the corridor between Heathrow and Hayes, an area heavily used by airport workers, freight traffic and early-morning commuters. A closure at this hour — before many shift changes at the airport — is likely to have caught the first wave of commuters.
The U4 is a key west London route serving Hillingdon Hospital, Hayes and Harlington, while the 696 and 698 serve school and local journeys, meaning the diversions hit both commuters and pupils heading to school.
It comes during a difficult week for travel around the airport. The M25 at junction 15 will close this weekend between the M4 slip roads, and Storm Austen is expected to disrupt flights at Heathrow on Friday as the first named storm of the season sweeps in.
Check before you travel
Anyone using the 696, 698 or U4 should check TfL’s journey planner or the TfL Go app for the latest diversion details before setting off. Drivers should expect the usual knock-on delays on nearby roads through the morning as traffic redistributes around the closure.
Road closures of this kind are usually lifted once emergency services have cleared the scene and the carriageway has been made safe — though no timescale had been confirmed at the time of writing. This newspaper also reported earlier this week that Barking Road in east London was closed both ways after a crash, causing major congestion through the evening rush hour.
