National Highways is advising motorists to only travel if necessary with the first ever planned full closure of the M25 taking effect from Friday (March 15).

The motorway will be shut in both directions between junctions 10 (A3 Wisley) and 11 (A320 Chertsey Interchange) from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday (March 18) to demolish the Clearmount bridleway bridge and install a large gantry.

The carriageway, between junctions 9 and 11, typically carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction between 10am and 9pm on a weekend.

It will be the first of five closures between now and September, with National Highways warning motorists of long delays and to only travel if necessary.

The Junction 10 improvement scheme will see an increase in the number of lanes to improve traffic flow.

Without a full closure of the M25 at this junction, National Highways says it would be impossible to safely demolish the overbridges and install the new gantry.

Jonathan Wade, National Highways project lead, said: “Drivers should only use the M25 if their journey is absolutely necessary.

“This is the first of five full closures of one of the busiest junctions on our road network.

“We have spent months planning for these closures and making sure there are diversion routes in place, but there will still be heavy congestion and delays.”

Both National Highways and contractor Balfour Beatty have liaised with key stakeholders in the lead up to this closure including emergency services, Surrey County Council, local businesses and Gatwick and Heathrow Airports.

Those affected by closures have been also been notified in advance while nearby event venues have also been kept up to date with this latest information on the project and associated closures both on the M25 and A3.

The next full closure of the M25 is due to take place in April to allow for the installation of the new Clearmount bridleway bridge.

For more information about the project and the latest updates including the closures, click here.