The M4 closed in both directions after a crash on a stretch of road in Berkshire, shutting the route between junction 8/9 for Maidenhead and junction 10 for Reading. National Highways said the motorway was expected to remain shut throughout the morning peak period, and drivers were warned to allow extra time for their journey.
Maidenhead and Reading
Westbound traffic was diverted off the motorway at junction 8/9 and onto the A404M. Eastbound traffic was taken off at junction 10 and sent onto the A329M northbound.
That left drivers using a key part of the M4 facing a different route while the closure stayed in place during the busiest part of the morning. A closure like this removes through traffic from the main carriageway and pushes vehicles onto roads that can absorb only part of the flow.
National Highways
National Highways said a police investigation was under way. The warning to allow extra time was the practical instruction for anyone already on the road, especially those travelling between Maidenhead and Reading while the closure remained in force.
The diversion pattern also showed the split in the disruption: westbound drivers were sent one way, eastbound drivers another. That arrangement meant journeys in both directions needed a new route, not just a delay on one side of the motorway.
Berkshire and the M4
The open question is how long the crash scene would keep the road shut beyond the morning peak period, because National Highways only set out the expected shutdown window. Until the route reopened, the simplest advice for motorists was to avoid building the M4 into any tight timetable and to use the diversion routes already in place.
