M25 closures this week: every planned shutdown and diversion

Published at 3:07pm

M25 closures this week will bring four consecutive nights of disruption to the motorway, with 34 planned shutdowns affecting carriageways, slip roads and key links to the M4, M20, A3 and A13.

National Highways has scheduled the works each night from Monday, September 28, through to the early hours of Friday, October 2. Most closures begin at 10pm and stay in place until 5.30am the following morning.

Drivers are being urged to allow extra time and to make themselves aware of diversion routes, with some of the motorway’s busiest sections — including the clockwise carriageway between junctions 9 and 10 — closing on three of the four nights.

M25 closures this week at a glance

• When: Overnight from Monday, September 28, to the early hours of Friday, October 2
• How many: 34 planned closures over four nights
• Usual hours: 10pm to 5.30am, with a small number running to different times
• Worst hit: M25 clockwise J9–J10, M25 anticlockwise J28–J29, M25 clockwise J22–J23 and the J15 link to the M4 — all closed on three nights
• Advice: Allow extra time, follow signed diversions and check for updates before setting off

Full list of M25 closures

The worst-affected stretches

Several sections of the M25 are hit repeatedly through the week. The clockwise carriageway between junction 9 and junction 10 — along with its entry slip at junction 9 — closes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, while the anticlockwise carriageway, entry and exit slips between junctions 29 and 28 shut on the same three nights.

The clockwise carriageway between junctions 22 and 23 is closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, and the clockwise link road from junction 15 to the M4 eastbound and westbound at junction 4B shuts on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Links to other major routes are caught up too. The M20 eastbound link from the clockwise M25 closes on Monday night, the fast link to the A13 eastbound shuts on Monday, and the link from the anticlockwise M25 at junction 10 to the A3 northbound at Wisley closes on Thursday night. And for anyone who thought of the M25 as a perfect loop, here is the A-road that breaks the circle.

Diversions and travel advice

National Highways will signpost diversion routes around each closure. As with any motorway works, drivers are advised to follow the official signs rather than improvising their own route on local roads.

Motorists should build extra time into overnight journeys and check their route before setting off. Planned roadworks can change at short notice, particularly because of weather or operational issues, so it is worth checking the latest National Highways travel information before travelling.

It has been a difficult few days on the orbital, which has also seen an emergency response to a lorry crash near Enfield and long delays for drivers near Godstone. Anyone planning a longer trip may also want to check our ranking of the best and worst M25 service stations.

Why the M25 closes overnight

National Highways carries out disruptive maintenance at night to keep the strategic road network moving during the day. The M25 is one of the busiest motorways in Europe, circling the capital and carrying huge volumes of freight and commuter traffic, so daytime closures would bring widespread gridlock.

Even so, overnight travellers — including shift workers, coach passengers and lorry drivers — should plan around the published closure times and be ready for some delays on each of the four nights.