A245 Byfleet Road Works Summary and FAQs

National Highways have provided the following information regarding the A245 Byfleet Road Works (dated 21 May 2024):

Works forming part of the M25 junction 10 / A3 Wisley scheme on the M25 and A3 have been ongoing for some 18 months now and we’re sure that they will have become a familiar sight. Due to the impact on the A3, certain works on the Surrey County Council (SCC) network were included in this project, one of those being on the A245 westwards from the Painshill interchange as far as the junction with Seven Hills Road. The extent of these works is described below.

You will also be aware that the A245/Byfleet Road already sees regular and severe congestion on both sides of the Seven Hills junction with the B365/Seven Hills Road North a contributory factor.

We very much regret that because of our ongoing improvement works on the A245/Byfleet Road, the level of congestion has increased. We are aware of the impact which this is having on people’s lives and, in some cases, that of children facing examinations during the coming weeks. We are committed to carrying out the necessary works in as shorter time as we can and mitigating the effects as far as we are able to do so.

During Summer 2023, National Highways commenced work on widening the westbound A245/Byfleet Road, this started with the installation of a new access into Feltonfleet School, and construction of a large water attenuation pond adjacent to the eastbound A245/Byfleet Road. Due to the extensive buried utilities beneath roads in the area and the need to maintain reasonable traffic flows, we were unable to complete all the work in a single phase.

Overall, the amount of work remaining to be carried out on the A245/Byfleet Road and Seven Hills Road junction is scheduled to take eight months and as such there is no optimum time of the year to carry it out without impacting upon people driving along the road. The initial stages of any construction work tend to be the excavation for the diversion of existing utility services or laying new ones. We are currently at that stage, and it is scheduled to take nine weeks.

We have engaged closely with SCC and Feltonfleet School, amongst others, in planning these works. We have considered very carefully with our delivery partners, Balfour Beatty Atkins, how the works might be undertaken in the least disruptive manner possible, keeping within the legal constraints of our planning consent (Development Consent Order).

We have, understandably, received expressions of concern about our works in this area and have prepared a short of list of frequently asked questions to answer some of the most common of those.

M25 Junction 10 / A3 Wisley Scheme

A245 Byfleet Road Works – Frequently Asked Questions

• Who authorised this work to be undertaken? Was Surrey County Council (SCC) consulted with?
  The works were authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport under a Development Consent Order in May 2022, as part of the wider M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange improvement scheme. SCC (and Elmbridge Borough Council) took part in the consultation and planning inquiry which led to the works being carried out.
• What planning was undertaken for these works?
  This is a very complex programme with many interdependences. The plan was developed taking account of the availability of utility providers, environmental windows of opportunity, works on the A3 northbound off slip, school term times, and the duration of this phase of the works as a whole.
• Can the road only be coned off outside of peak hours and, if not, what else can be done?
  The first phase of the work is the installation of deep road drainage in the narrow central reservation, which requires working space to either side of the trench and including measures to prevent collapse of the excavation. This has caused us to close the off-side lane in both eastbound and westbound directions. The kind of barriers in use are to protect the workforce and the excavations are not the type which can be put in place and taken away during short off-peak times as they are fixed to the road surface.
• Why can’t work be undertaken when the school has broken up for the holiday?
  The overall duration of the works is eight months and we cannot therefore complete this entirely within school holiday periods. By commencing works now, we avoid them continuing into January and February 2025, the worst months in the year for construction.
• Can the work be done any faster?
  We are carrying out the work using both day and night shifts to complete it as quickly as we are able.
• For how long will the A245 be reduced to one lane?
  The eastbound and westbound A245/Byfleet Road are expected to be reduced to a single lane for a period of up to nine weeks. Beyond that, and at least partially, the eastbound lane closure will remain in place until November and the westbound lane closure will be removed after the first nine weeks of work.
• When will all the works on the A245 be complete?
  Works on the A245/Byfleet are expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
• Can the central reservation be opened to stop people doing 3-point turns in the side street?
  The central reservation is the area in which works will be taking place and, as such, it cannot be opened to allow vehicles to cross between the eastbound and westbound carriageways.
• Can this work just be carried out at night?
  We are carrying out works at night as well as daytime. We do have to be mindful of noise, light pollution and disruption to people living in the immediate area.
• What work is taking place?
  • Laying extensive road drainage in the central reservation
  • Laying a drainage connection to the water attenuation pond
  • Changes to some moderately complex buried utility diversions from the nearside of the westbound A245/Byfleet Road
  • Moving a key electrical substation
  • Closing the Feltonfleet School direct access onto the A245
  • Widening the westbound A245/Byfleet Road to three lanes
  • Building a fourth lane on the approach to Seven Hills Road junction leading left into Seven Hills Road South accessing Hilton Hotel / Feltonfleet School
  • Completing a cycleway/footpath parallel to the westbound A245/Byfleet Road
  • Widening the road eastbound approaching the Painshill interchange to allow better access onto the northbound A3
• I can’t see any workers, why is that?
  Inevitably there will be occasions when no-one is seen to be working. The nature of construction works such as this means that there are sub-phases and activities reliant upon each other. Furthermore, there will be times when the discovery of both live and redundant buried utility services causes our engineers to stop and review details of work which are being carried out.
• What is being done to manage traffic during the works?
  We will review on a regular basis the impact which we are having on local traffic flows. If it becomes possible, we will reopen lanes either partially or in full at the earliest opportunity.
• Why has the northbound A3 off slip been closed?
  Closing the sliproad means that we can take out a phase on the traffic signals on the Painshill interchange. This was done to mitigate the lengthy A245 eastbound queues which occurred. It also allows us to complete embankment piling and widening which will enable the construction of a third lane leading to the Painshill interchange.
• How long will the A3 Painshill interchange northbound off slip be closed?
  It will be closed for up to ten weeks. We will review this when schools break up for the summer holidays and the volume of eastbound A245 traffic decreases.
• Will the restrictions still be in place when you next plan to close the M25?
  The next M25 weekend closure will be between junctions 10 Wisley and 11 Chertsey. The dates for this have not yet been announced. During that weekend, the section of the A245 currently restricted to a single lane will be fully re-opened to two lanes in each direction.

More information

For details on upcoming closure information please visit our website
www.nationalhighways.co.uk/m25j10.

Alternatively, if you have any questions, you can contact us by email on
M25j10@nationalhighways.co.uk or call 0300 123 5000.

You can also follow us https://www.facebook.com/HighwaysSEast and X (Twitter) @HighwaysSEast