National Highways said emergency repairs on the M25 caused M25 Kent Surrey traffic delays of about an hour during Friday morning's peak period. Three lanes were closed clockwise between junction five for Sevenoaks and junction six for Godstone.
The closure followed repairs on a carriageway overnight, according to the agency. For drivers heading through the Kent and Surrey border corridor, that meant slower traffic on one of the region's busiest stretches at the exact time when morning flows are heaviest.
Junction five to junction six
National Highways said the closure involved three lanes on the clockwise side of the M25 between junction five for Sevenoaks and junction six for Godstone. The earlier congestion reached junction three for the M20 at Swanley Interchange in Kent and stretched three miles back on the M26.
That wider build-up showed the effect of a lane restriction on a motorway where traffic has little room to disperse. A problem centered on the repair site spread beyond the immediate stretch before the road reopened.
09:15 BST clearance
By about 09:15 BST, Inrix said the congestion had been cleared. National Highways said the works had been completed and all lanes had been reopened.
The disruption was significant enough to hold traffic for about an hour, but it did not last through the rest of the morning peak. Drivers who were already on the route faced the delay; those travelling later moved through after the lanes were restored.
Overnight repairs on M25
The remaining question is what prompted the overnight carriageway repairs in the first place. For anyone planning the same route, the immediate issue has ended, but the lane closure showed how quickly a short stretch on the M25 can push delays back toward Swanley Interchange and the M26 before the road clears.
