Busy motorway linking Heathrow to shut in both directions TONIGHT sparking delays for 1,000s – check your route
A BUSY motorway which links to Heathrow Airport is set to shut tonight in both directions, sparking delays for thousands of travellers.
Part of the M4 will close near Swindon, Wiltshire, between 9pm and 6am while resurfacing work of the carriageways takes place.
Drivers will be taken on diversion between Junction 15 for Swindon and Junction 14 for Wickham.
It should be noted that slip roads will also be closed while the works are underway.
Motorists have also been warned of delays to journeys as a result of the resurfacing.
On the National Highways website, it states: “M4 [closed] both directions Jct 14 to Jct 15.
“Carriageway, slip road and lane closures for resurfacing work.”
While no diversion route has been listed on the National Highways site, alternative paths are likely to be sign posted on the road.
This comes as it was announced motorists would benefit from thousands of miles of roadworks being lifted ahead of the Easter getaway.
Workers will down tools across 1,127 miles of repairs nationwide to get the country moving across the four-day break.
Estimates from the AA say more than 19 million drivers will make car trips on Good Friday, 18.5 million people will drive on Easter Saturday and 18.2 million on Sunday and Monday.
Around 97 per cent of major roads across England will be completely free from roadworks helping to speed up journeys.
Significant routes being lifted or completed by big getaway include 130 miles on the M25, 100 miles on the M1 between London and Chesterfield and 31 miles between Great Yarmouth and Peterborough.
Ministers say they can save drivers £500 per year through £59 on the fuel duty freeze along with filling in potholes which can cost families £460 in repairs.
National Highways is relaunching its ‘TRIP’ campaign to prevent breakdowns calling on drivers to top-up their fuel, rest, inspect tyres, and prepare for all weather conditions.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “We are tackling the real problems that drivers face by lifting 1,127 miles of roadworks over Easter and cracking down on disruptive streetworks to make journeys to see loved ones as smooth as possible.
“This Government is also saving drivers up to £500 a year, with councils soon to receive their record £1.6 billion pothole funding and the continued freeze on fuel duty.”
Meanwhile, a new measure to implement a digital service to speed up roadworks and reduce accidental strikes on underground pipes which currently amounts to 60,000 per year will be brought in – costing the UK economy £2.4 billion each year.
Drivers facing ‘hat-trick’ of nightmare delays on Easter weekend as 6.2million hit the road – plan now to avoid chaos
RAC experts have urged drivers to prepare for “severe” delays from Thursday to Bank Holiday Monday.
Inrix, a transport analytics company, estimated headache queues of more than an hour on the M25 from junction 7 for Gatwick to junction 16 for the M40 on Thursday.
Drivers have also been warned of hold ups on the M6 north of Chester and the M25 clockwise towards Godstone, Surrey.
Elsewhere, the A303 in Wiltshire and the M5 southbound from Bristol are also expected to face some backlog.
Meanwhile, Good Friday day-trippers could see jams lasting from 11am to 1pm.
On Monday, the worst traffic will be between 10am and 5pm, while it will be between 9am and 4pm on Good Friday.
Alice Simpson, of the RAC, said: “The late bank holiday weekend clashes with the end of the Easter break for many schools which we think will change the nature of this year’s getaway.
“Although journey numbers are still very high, we’re anticipating more day trips and weekend breaks than people heading off on one- and two-week stints.
“This could lead to a hat-trick of hold-ups on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as drivers visit family and friends.
“It’s always best to travel as early as possible in the morning or later in the day when most of the traffic has eased, especially to popular holiday destinations such as the West Country, Scotland or Wales.”