A SECTION of the UK’s busiest motorway is set to close across seven weekends as crucial roadworks get underway.
The route, which is used by 200,000 vehicles a day, is undergoing a £170 million renovation to ease congestion and create “wildlife habitats”.
It was just a few months ago that the M25 underwent its first-ever daytime closure since it opened in 1986.
The motorway, which encircles London and acts as a major access road for commuters, was shut down to replace a bridge at J10.
But a fresh refurbishment project is now underway, which will see a spate of closures running into next year.
The first of these is set to begin within days, several slip roads out of action.
Work will be carried out from 11pm on September 6, with the area reopening again from 5am on September 9.
Similar restrictions will be put in place again between the same hours from September 13-16.
And they will return on five subsequent weekends through the rest of the year up to the end of the project.
The shutdowns are part of an overhaul of J28 and the connection between the M25 and A12 in Essex.
They will be used to establish a new loop road linking the anti-clockwise carriageway of the motorway to the A-road, meaning drivers can avoid the busy junction roundabout.
That carriageway will also be widened, while a pair of slip roads will be relocated.
Officials at National Highways estimate that it could reduce delays in the long run by as much as five times and increase the average speed through the junction by 25%.
The new roads will also take steps to mitigate environmental harm, planting new “native trees” along the borders and establishing new ponds to guard against flooding and provide “wildlife habitats”.
At this stage, workers are establishing new bridges and gantries across the reconfigured road and improving associated signage.
The closures are expected to be finished by the Spring of 2025, opening the section back up to traffic, with the final touches done by next Winter.
J28 will remain open throughout, but anyone looking to get onto the A12 from the clockwise side will have to exit at J29, turn around onto the anti-clockwise carriageway and then exit at J28.
A spokesperson for National Highways said: “We’re moving to the next phase of our works – building the new gantry base.
“We’ve chosen weekend closures as the least disruptive option for road users.
“Other options, like putting continuous traffic management in place for several weeks, would cause more inconvenience to people at peak times.
“J28 plays a huge role in connecting the A12 and the M25 and provides access to Brentwood via the A1023.
“Up to 7,500 vehicles pass through the junction roundabout at peak times.”
