M25 motorway

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M25 motorway
Road of the United Kingdom
Length	117 miles (188.3 km)
Direction	Circular (London Orbital)
Start	Hawley (near Dartford) (A2)
Primary destinations	London Dartford Sevenoaks Reigate Staines Heathrow Airport Watford
End	West Thurrock (A13)
Construction dates	1975 - 1986
Motorways joined	J3 → M20 motorway J5 → M26 motorway J7 → M23 motorway J12 → M3 motorway J15 → M4 motorway J16 → M40 motorway J21 → M1 motorway J23 → A1(M) motorway J27 → M11 motorway
Euroroute(s)	E 15

To see information about the M25 motorway under construction in Ireland, see N25 road.

The M25 motorway, also known as the M25 corridor or London Orbital,^[1] is a 117 mile (188 km) orbital motorway which encircles Greater London, United Kingdom. Renowned for its traffic congestion and accident rate,^[1] it is one of the busiest stretches of the British motorway network, and almost completely encircles London; the gap is formed in the east, with the Dartford Crossing or the A282, linking two sides of the River Thames. Designed to divert vehicles from central London, it is said to be one of the longest city bypasses in the world.^[2] In Europe, the M25 is the second-longest ring road after the Berlin Ring (A 10) which is longer by 5 miles (8 km). The M60 motorway in Manchester is the only other major city in the UK to benefit from an orbital motorway.

[edit] Description

The M25 between junctions 7 (M23) and 6 (A22 near Reigate, Surrey. The signs are indicating a reduced speed limit of 40 mph (64 km/h) due to congestion

For the majority of its length the motorway has six lanes (three in each direction), although there are a few short stretches under junctions which are four-lane and the stretch from junctions 12 to 6 and areas around Dartford are eight lane. The motorway was widened to ten lanes between junctions 12 and 14, and twelve lanes between junctions 14 and 15, in November 2005. The Highways Agency has plans to widen almost all of the remaining stretches of the M25 to eight lanes with the exception of between junctions 3-5 although that stretch is sometimes very busy.

It is one of Europe's busiest motorways, with 196,000 vehicles a day recorded in 2003 between junctions 13 and 14 near London Heathrow Airport,^[3] which is however significantly fewer than the 257,000 vehicles a day recorded in 2002 on the A4 motorway at Saint-Maurice, in the suburbs of Paris ([1]), the 216,000 vehicles a day recorded in 1998 on the A 100 motorway near the Funkturm in Berlin ([2]) or the tangential motorway A23 in the southeast of Vienna, which is used by more than 200,000 vehicles on an average day.([3])

The M25 is not a continuous loop. To the east of London, the toll crossing of the Thames between Thurrock and Dartford is the lesser grade A282. The Dartford Crossing, which consists of two tunnels and the QE2 (Queen Elizabeth II) bridge, is named Canterbury Way. Passage across the bridge or through the tunnels is subject to a toll, dependent upon the type of vehicle. Designating this stretch as a motorway would mean that traffic not permitted to use motorways could not cross the Thames east of Woolwich.

At junction 5 near Sevenoaks, a driver continuing around the M25 in either direction must follow the slip roads, as the anticlockwise carriageway continues as the M26 to the east (towards the M20) and the clockwise as the A21 towards the south coast.

The road passes through several police force areas. Junctions 1–5 are in Kent, 6–14 in Surrey (passing in places through Greater London and Berkshire), 15–16 are in Buckinghamshire, 17–24 are in Hertfordshire, 25 in Greater London (the Hertfordshire border going around the junction's northern edge), 26–28 in Essex, 29 in Greater London and 30–31 in Essex. Policing the road is carried out by an integrated policing group made up of the Metropolitan, Thames Valley, Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire and Surrey forces.

The distance of the motorway from central London (taken as Charing Cross) varies from approximately 12 miles (20 km) near Potters Bar to 20 miles (32 km) near Byfleet. In some places (Enfield, Hillingdon and Havering) the Greater London boundary has been realigned to the M25 for minor stretches; while in others, most notably in Essex and Surrey, it is many miles distant. Major towns such as Epsom, Watford, and Loughton are within the M25. North Ockendon is the only settlement of Greater London situated outside the M25. In 2004, following an opinion poll, a move was mooted by the London Assembly to align the Greater London boundary with the M25.^[4]

The three service areas are located in the central north (Junction 23 South Mimms), south east (Clacket Lane) and central east (Thurrock).

[edit] History

The M25 motorway looking south between junctions 14 and 15, near Heathrow Airport. The red light from the overhead gantry, just visible in the distance, is the MIDAS system indicating a reduced speed limit due to congestion

The M25 motorway looking north from Heathrow Airport

The M25 between junction 24 (A111, Potters Bar) and 25 (A10, Waltham Cross & Enfield).

The idea of an orbital road around London was first proposed early in the 20th century and was re-examined a number of times during the first half of the 20th century in plans such as Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Guy Blunden, The Highway Development Survey, 1937 and Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan, 1943 and Greater London Plan, 1944. Abercrombie's plan proposed a series of five roads encircling the capital.

In the post-war years little was done to implement Abercrombie's plans but in the 1960s the Greater London Council developed an ambitious plan for a network of ring roads around the capital. The London Ringways plan was hugely controversial due to the destruction required for the inner two ring roads and the enormous anticipated cost. The plan was modified a number of times to overcome opposition from the residents of threatened areas and the government, but was cancelled in 1973. Parts of the two outer ring roads, Ringways 3 and 4, were begun in 1973 and became the first two sections of the M25 to open in 1975 (junction 23 to junction 24) and 1976 (junction 6 to junction 8).The M16 motorway was the designation planned in the late 1960s and early 1970s for use on Ringway 3, a new motorway planned as part of the London Ringways Plan to run a circular route around London.

Construction of the first section of the M16 began in 1973 between South Mimms and Potters Bar in Hertfordshire and opened in September 1975 with the temporary general purpose road designation A1178. During construction of the first section of the motorway, the majority of the Ringways plan was cancelled and, in 1975 the plans for Ringway 3 were modified to combine it with parts of another motorway, Ringway 4, the outermost Ringway.

The M16 designation was dropped and the combined motorway was given the designation M25 which had originally been intended for the southern and western part of Ringway 4. The section of Ringway 3 west of South Mimms anti-clockwise around London to Swanley in Kent was cancelled and the section clockwise from Potters Bar to the Dartford Tunnel was constructed between 1979 and 1982. The section of Ringway 3 south of the river between Dartford and Swanley was constructed between 1974 and 1977.

Construction of the M25 continued in stages until its completion in 1986. The stages were not constructed contiguously but in small sections, such as Dartford to Swanley (junction 1 to junction 3) and Potters Bar to Enfield Town (junction 24 to junction 25). As the orbital road developed the sections were linked. Each section was presented to planning authorities in its own right and was individually justified, with almost 40 public inquiries relating to sections of the route. Maps at this time depicting these short sections named the route as the M16 but this changed before completion. The northern sections of the M25 follow a similar route to the World War II Outer London Defence Ring.

The M25 was officially opened on 29 October 1986 with a ceremony by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who opened the section between J22 and J23 (London Colney and South Mimms).

However, it was already seen by many as an outdated motorway on its completion, as the number of cars on Britain's roads had soared substantially since the route was initially projected all those years earlier. Within a few years, it was notorious for being plagued with congestion and had earned the nickname "M25 car park" and congestion has gone from bad to worse over the last 20 years. [4]

The initial tenders for the construction of the M25 totalled £631.9 million. This did not include compulsory purchase of land and subsequent upgrades and repairs.

More recently, the perennially congested south-western stretch of the M25 (near Woking) has been fitted with an experimental automated traffic control system called Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling (MIDAS). This consists of a distributed network of traffic and weather sensors, speed cameras and variable-speed signs that control traffic speeds with little human supervision, but has done little to alleviate traffic problems.

A precursor of the M25 was the North Orbital Road (see A414 road).

[edit] Improvements

When built the section of the M25 from just west of Junction 25 (A10/Waltham Cross) through to the eastern end of the Holmsdale Tunnel had only 2 lanes for motorway traffic. This was found to cause hold-ups at peak times as the majority of traffic approaching the junction did not leave the motorway. As a result a series of works, which were completed ahead of schedule in late 2007, have increased the number of lanes through this section from 2 to 3 in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. This work also included extending the Holmsdale Tunnel to the east.

In summer 2007 work started on widening the exit slip-roads in both directions at Junction 28 (A12/Brentwood). This is intended to reduce the amount of traffic queueing on the slip roads at busy periods, particularly traffic from the clockwise M25 joining the northbound A12 where the queue can extend onto the inside lane of the Motorway. The works included a dedicated left-turn lane from the M25 clockwise exit slip road to the A12 entry slip road. These works were completed in February 2008.

[edit] Future developments

The Highways Agency is proposing to widen 63 miles of M25 from six lanes to eight lanes, from junctions 5-6 and 16-30 at a cost of over £5 billion.^[5] The Highways Agency is offering the contract on a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) basis.^[6] A shortlist of contractors was announced in October 2006,^[7] however contractors were then asked to resubmit their bids in January 2008.^[8] In October 2008 concerns were raised as to likelihood of raising PFI funding for the project after the credit crunch.^[9] The project will be constructed under 5 separate schemes.^[10] Works on two of the schemes has already started while the others remain in the planning stages.

[edit] Junction 23 to 27 Widening

Plans for this scheme involve widening the M25 from 3 to 4 lane carriageway between Junctions 23 to 27, except around junctions and bridges. The scheme is currently awaiting the publication of an Environmental Statement in 2011 following which public consultations will be held.^[10] An estimated date for start of works is given for 2012 with completion aimed for 2015/16.^[11] However, in July 2008 the Department for Transport announced the scheme was being considered for hard-shoulder running which if put in place would replace the proposed widening scheme.^[12]

[edit] Junction 30 Improvement

In 2007 as part of the Thames Gateway Delivery Plan plans were announced to improve Junction 30 in order to increase its capacity. Following a review by the Highways Agency an announcement on the recommended scheme is expected by the end of 2008. An early estimate on the start of major works is given for 2013/2014.^[13]

[edit] Illuminated sections

Large sections of the M25 are illuminated with the aim of reducing accidents on the road. The current illuminated sections are Dartford to junction 3, junctions 6 to 16, junctions 18 to 21A, and junctions 23 to 31. It is thought that when the widening of the M25 is completed junctions 3 to 5 will be the only area unlit, as this is the quietest part of the M25. The type of lights on the M25 varies, with some of the sections using the older yellow low-pressure sodium (SOX) lighting, and others with modern high-pressure sodium (SON) lighting.

Some stretches have recently been upgraded to SON. These include Junction 5, junctions around Heathrow and 27.

[edit] Junctions

Distances are taken from Driver Location Signs (referenced to a point close to Junction 31) as supplied by Highway Agency.^[14]

[edit] Map

Map of Ringways 3 & 4 showing sections combined to form the M25

[edit] Racing

M25 between junctions 7 and 6 near Reigate, Surrey. The Variable Message sign says A14 closed after A10.

The orbital nature of the motorway, in common with racetracks, lent itself to unofficial, and illegal, motor racing. At the end of the 1980s, before the advent of speed enforcement devices, owners of supercars, many employed in the financial service industry in the City and in Docklands, would meet at night at services stations such as South Mimms and conduct time trials. Times below 1 hour were achieved; an average speed of over 117 mph (188 km/h), which included coming to a halt at the Dartford Tunnel toll payment booths.^[16][17]

[edit] Public awareness and references in popular culture

The multi level junction with the M23.

Inside the Bell Common Tunnel near Epping.

The M25 (including the A282 Dartford Crossing) is known for its frequent traffic jams. These have been the subject of so much comment from such an early stage that even at the official opening ceremony Margaret Thatcher complained about "those who carp and criticise". The jams have inspired jokes ("the world's biggest car park", "the London Orbital Car Park"), songs (Chris Rea's "The Road to Hell")^[18] and the following tongue-in-cheek theory:

Many phenomena – wars, plagues, sudden audits – have been advanced as evidence for the hidden hand of Satan in the affairs of Man, but whenever students of demonology get together the M25 London orbital motorway is generally agreed to be among the top contenders for exhibit A.

—from Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

This is because (in the book) the M25 was actually moulded by demonic forces during its planning so as to resemble, from space, a mystic demonic sigil.

In Episode 12 of Primeval, a Colombian mammoth appears here.

The M25 was also mentioned in the popular British sketch comedy show, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. In a sketch featuring Dominic Appleguard, the title character, played by Fry, is shown to be mentally different. After stating, "you can always trust him with a peony and a cod," and showing Stephen Fry holding a cod over two large red peonies and rocking it in his arms like a baby, Hugh Laurie's voice over continues, "Dominic Appleguard designed the M25."

The road enjoyed a more positive reputation among ravers in the late 1980s as the then new Orbital Motorway was a popular route to the parties that took place around the outskirts of London. The useof the M25 for these raves inspired the name of electronic duo Orbital.

Because the M25 is a more visible and better known marker than administrative boundaries, it is often informally considered as a boundary marking the edges of London.

[edit] References

[edit] Similar roads

• Amsterdam A10
• Baltimore I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway)
• Berlin A10
• Boston Massachusetts Route 128, the Yankee Division Highway
• Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil) Anel Viário José Magalhães Teixeira
• Chicago I-294 (most of) the Tri-State Tollway in the U.S. state of Illinois
• Dublin M50
• Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (Under construction)
• Johannesburg Ring Road (N1, N3, N12)
• Lisbon Circular Regional Interna de Lisboa[5]
• Madrid M30
• Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2
• Manchester M60
• Mexico City Anillo Periférico
• Moscow MKAD
• New York/New Jersey I-287 in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey
• Oslo RING 3
• Paris Périphérique
• Paris A86 autoroute
• Porto Via de Cintura Interna[6]
• Rome Grande Raccordo Anulare
• Santiago Avenida Americo Vespucio
• São Paulo Rodoanel Mário Covas
• Toronto Highway 407 ETR
• Washington, D.C. I-495 (the Capital Beltway)

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: M25 motorway

• Highways Agency – Roadworks
• Highways Agency – Current Traffic Information
• Highways Agency – Dartford – Thurrock River Crossing
• The Motorway Archive's M25 page
• CBRD M25 Motorway Database
• CBRD M25 Opening Booklet

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