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The M25 at 25

A supplement to CIHT magazine Transportation Professional, published October 2011 in association with the Highways Agency

Prime Minister Opening the M25 29th October 1986 October 2011 Transportation Professional M25 – Foreword 17

“M25: Celebrating excellence and Britain at its best”

t is a great pleasure to welcome you to The has continued to this special edition of Transportation evolve, with lanes added at key IProfessional magazine to mark 25 locations and more advanced traffic years since the completion of the M25 systems, signs and signals to manage orbital motorway around in 1986. traffic flows more effectively. Today, with A Royal Commission on London’s Traffic more than one million people using it first put forward the idea of a every day, this 117 mile long highway is solution to London’s projected growth in one of the busiest motorways in Europe. traffic and congestion in 1905. But it was The M25 is a vital strategic route around not until a 13 mile stretch of motorway - London, and continues to benefit from from Micklefield to - significant Government investment to opened ahead of schedule in October improve it for all road users. The next 1986 that the M25 London orbital was chapter in its history will see extra completed. That day not only marked the capacity introduced and investment in completion of years of hard work, it was innovations such as varying the speed also a celebration of engineering limits and opening up the hard Mike Penning excellence and Britain at its best. to traffic when needed to improve traffic Parliamentary Under Secretary of The M25 quickly became a talking point flow and reduce congestion. State for Transport (Roads Minister) for the nation. For two and a half decades The 25th anniversary is an opportunity it has attracted more than its fair share of to pay tribute to the thousands of criticism. But it has also won less than its individuals who have contributed to due quota of praise because, beyond ensuring that the M25 continues to doubt, the M25 has transformed our lives provide its vital operation for the nation. for the better. It has vastly improved From the planners, engineers and connections for communities and for construction workers who brought the businesses. Moreover, the economic and M25 into being and continue to define its social benefits of a dedicated orbital future, through to the maintenance motorway around the capital spread far workers, traffic officers and control centre wider than the immediate area of London operators who keep it running day to day and the South East of . – everyone can look at the M25 with pride.

The ‘M25 at 25’ has been produced by Barrett, Byrd Associates for the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation in association with the Highways Agency. With many thanks to all the highways specialists – past and present – who have helped compile this celebratory supplement.

Barrett, Byrd Associates, 7 Linden Close, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8HH, 01892 524468, www.barrett-byrd.com 17 M25 – Foreword: Roads Minister Mike Penning introduces our supplement and pays tribute to the thousands of people who have Publisher: Ty Byrd, MCIHT Editorial Team: Ty Byrd, Mike Walter, Jackie Whitelaw and Jon Masters contributed to its construction and operation Production Editor: Alastair Lloyd 18 M25 – History: London’s orbital was 20 years in the making and has Advertising Sales: Sally Devine become a crucial transportation corridor, vital for the whole UK economy Proprietor: The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation, 119 Britannia Walk, London N1 7JE, 24 M25 – Now: Widening is taking place to improve capacity on the M25; T: 0207 336 1555, [email protected], www.ciht.org.uk sections of Managed Motorway and Controlled Motorway are also to be The views expressed in ‘M25 at 25’ are not all endorsed by the Chartered added Institution of Highways & Transportation, the , the Highways Agency or Barrett Byrd Associates, nor are the claims of advertisers. 31 M25 – Future: Controlled flow rather than extra capacity provision is Transportation Professional – incorporating H&T likely to be the order of the day 25 years from now Journal of the CIHT Circulation July 2010 - June 2011: 10,810 ISSN: 1478-4467 © The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation 2011. Incorporated by Royal Charter. A Registered Charity. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC040873. 34 M25 – Building the Network: Key statistics from the construction 18 M25 – History Transportation Professional October 2011

The ‘road to nowhere’ that transformed the UK economy

Twenty five years ago this month Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher officially opened the M25 London orbital motorway, the world’s longest single city bypass. Here Ty Byrd reports on its history.

M25/M4 Concreting between J27-28 in 1982

rime Minister Margaret Thatcher succession of knights, Sir Raymond Unwin, stretches of motorway, to the north and spoke passionately at the M25’s Sir Charles Bressey, Sir Charles Lutyens and south of the capital. The M16 was to be Popening ceremony to remind lastly Sir all published built to link the M1 directly with everyone of the absolute necessity for an plans for solving London’s acute traffic ; and the M25 was envisaged as orbital route around London. She then cut problems; Abercrombie proposing in 1944 relieving the A25 through and Kent the ribbon to allow traffic on to the that five ‘rings’ should be built expanding before joining the M20 near Wrotham. Micklefield to South Mimms section of the out from the city centre, to aid traffic flow. Abandonment by the GLC of its proposed motorway (junctions 19 to 23 – the last He made the point that “cars have orbitals prompted a rethink, however. stretch of M25 to be built) and thereby changed, roads have remained....scarcely Work had already begun on both the complete the 188km (117 mile) long circle. altered on plan since Roman times, in M16 (between the A1 and A111) and on the The date was 29 October 1986. detailed treatments since coaching days”. M25 ( and ). Then in The Prime Minister was jubilant and Little happened for more than 20 years November 1975, relatively quietly, Minister rightly so: London’s orbital was a triumph until the GLC’s of Transport John Gilbert announced that of engineering, the majority of Development Plan embraced some of the M16 and M25 would both be extended construction realised during her Abercrombie’s ideas, establishing in 1969 to meet each other (at in the west, premiership. Her initial words, though, plans for three ‘ringways’.The GLDP went Dartford in the east) to form a single ring were not original. They echoed those of to public inquiry with inquiry inspector Sir and create a London orbital motorway. other people, going back over 80 years. Frank Layfield eventually plumping This was to be known as the M25. (effectively) for one ringway and a half. A To say that this information quickly Politics and planning change of control at County Hall, though, entered public consciousness at the time It was in 1905 that the man then described from Tory to Labour, saw plans for all would be a gross overstatement. In fact, a as Britain’s leading authority on roads, forms of ringway scrapped in 1973. former senior official at the Department of William Rees Jeffries, first called for an It appeared that London would never Transport later confirmed to orbital, declaring: “It was a disgrace that no get its orbital. Transportation Professional that “the new road existed which encircled the English But appearances can be deceptive. From scheme was kept a bit hush-hush, for the capital”. He was giving evidence to a Royal the mid 1960s, the Department of public good”. It seems Government feared Commission on . Later a Transport had been planning two new there could be protests if the full scale of October 2011 Transportation Professional M25 – History 19

M25/A13 Interchange during construction

what had become a national motorway My M25 memory: seeing the result of 14 years of work by project was fully publicised. Lord Moore so many. Since I, like millions of others, As a practical necessity, the M25 was of Lower Marsh have driven on it so many many times. built in sections, with each section being Secretary of State for Loving it mostly, but sometimes cursing planned and taken to public inquiry as a Transport, 1986 at the enormous traffic load it carries, separate entity. Everything was kept local: A lot has changed in 25 and the consequent queues I'm forced in the early days there was little or no years, but my to join. At these times, I remember all national debate about the orbital as a memories of that day haven’t. The those wise commentators’ words: “It will whole. Some sections of M25 proceeded excitement of helicoptering around the never catch on”, “It’s just a road leading much more quickly than others: here there route, checking for the last time before nowhere that will never be used”. How may have been a crying local need for the opening! The genuine pleasure at wrong they were! traffic relief ( in Kent springs to mind); or environmental matters were less than through, the northern tip of Epping added right away between junctions 11 of an issue. A momentum was built making Forest, to forestall extended debate. and 13 to relieve congestion. In the final development of the orbital unstoppable. There was determined opposition to analysis, construction of the M25 London The Motorway Archive records that 39 some sections of the M25 with claims that orbital was totally justified, both separate public inquires were held, taking DoT was inflating traffic flow forecasts, the economically, socially and by any other more than 700 sitting days. “Some of them claimants’ arguments given weight by the measure. Where would we be without it? became extremely unpleasant, with the ‘oil shock’ of 1973. The Motorway Archive Department of Transport’s officers says that this should be borne in mind Design and construction sometimes threatened and pursued when considering the decision to build Consultants Atkins, Colquhoun, , home,” the archive records. To the south those sections to only dual three lane. Halcrow, Maunsell, Mott Hay & Anderson east of London, the beautiful That said, the M25 sections adjacent to and Ove Arup were all involved in design of Valley became a virtual battle ground – were designed with the M25; so were government engineers of despite not actually being on the line of the sufficient room to install extra lanes at a the South Eastern Road Construction Unit, motorway. To the north east, planners later date – at the orbital’s opening it was from both Kent and Surrey offices; and also sensibly installed the M25 under, rather announced that a fourth lane would be engineers from Kent County Council. > 20 M25 – History Transportation Professional October 2011

My M25 memory: Mike Sawyer Costain Environment Division The M25/M11 interchange at Epping, east to Talbot Road, was my first job with Costain as a young engineer. This was a large scale project in the era of the motor scraper. I gained first hand experience of delivering a major construction project for a Government client and a good understanding of how to develop team spirit.

> Contractors included (which had the distinction of building the first and last of the motorway’s sections), Birse, Bovis, Cementation, Fairclough, AE Farr, W&C French, Gleeson, Laing, Sir Alfred Excavation works between and - May 1984 McAlpine, Monk, Edmund Nuttall, Tarmac and Wimpey. All these names are listed alphabetically, not by extent of involvement. Ultimately, the job was split into 41 separate contracts, including advanced works. Construction started in 1973 and was over in just 14 years. A vital part of the design was configuring connections between the new orbital and myriad existing strategic radial motorway and trunk roads. There are 31 interchanges, none of them small and some of them really, really big and complex: the one with the M23 for example, the M4, and with the M1/A405. Construction of the motorway and its interchanges involved building well over 250 bridges, most of them over or under the M25, some to serve associated infrastructure. All were custom designed to suit particular individual circumstances and many are aesthetically pleasing. Dartford tunnel toll plaza under construction - May 1985 High on the list of these is the simple arch supported access crossing which spans over the M25 as this passes in deep My M25 memory: specifications, BSI/DTp Committees, cutting between the Chelsfield turn-off and Len Parker FCIHT progress meetings, site inspections, Sevenoaks. For those travelling south, The Motorway major maintenance, upgrading, running downhill, this bridge serves as a Archive Trust materials and geotech problems in veritable ‘gateway’ to Kent and Surrey. Two It was 1974 and the spades, developing sophisticated IT beautiful under bridges (and therefore not position looked very inspection systems and QA. Fortunately actually seen by M25 users) are New Haw attractive. All I had to I came armed with 15 years of viaduct over a main railway line and the do was head up the Geotechnical Group motorway experience and had the River Wey navigation canal; and at the SERCU Surrey Sub Unit for half support of a truly fantastic bunch of bridge across the Thames. my time and spend the other half as engineers and technicians. A memory? – Very well designed by Ove Arup, this last County Materials Engineer – two jobs looking down into a deep excavation complements its close neighbour, the (one salary!) from what is now the uppermost deck of 1960’s crossing by Sir . The For the following 20 years or so, life Interchange and thinking – Arup structure preserves and enhances the was a blur of designs, contracts, ‘it’s an awfully deep hole’! integrity of the original, it is said. In > 22 M25 – History Transportation Professional October 2011

My M25 memory: Martin Foster Laing My involvement started in 1974 as a section engineer on the A282M Dartford – Swanley link (which became part of the M25) when the orbital route was still a twinkle in someone’s eye. I subsequently worked on ‘ 1’ as project engineer and agent, at Epping including the Bell Common Tunnel as deputy project manager, as project manager and on the reconstruction of junctions six to eight near Reigate as operations director. The whole thing was built several years – some would say decades – too late. Always seemed to be travelling Bridge between J24-25 Sir A McAlpine - June 1980 through the congestion the motorway was intended to relieve in order to get to work. Very frustrating.

> contrast, Lyne Railway Bridge near was voted ugliest bridge in the world by readers of a leading civil engineering magazine. Moving quickly on, the alignment of the M25’s route combined with the following of natural contours and the extensive use of earthworks and tree planting had the effect of reducing the orbital’s overall impact. Carriageway formation ended up being cut up to three and four metres lower than initially planned in certain areas where there were high levels of environmental sensitivity. A dozen years of bulk muck shifting for the M25 sorted out the men from the boys: CA Blackwell, EJ Aldrich and John Jones ended up moving New Haw Viaduct under construction most of the motorway’s earth; with – among the big main contractors – only Wimpey and Sir Alfred McAlpine making The environment, and the reduction of motorway was obvious from the minute it use of their own men and machines. impact on an urban area, dictated that the opened, gauged by the amount of traffic In terms of carriageway construction, M25 should run in tunnel in two locations. that used it, and the relief felt by drivers the M25 as built had slightly more flexible These were Bell Common, on the northern now able easily to bypass central London. pavement than rigid (both types of tip of and at . That relief soon turned to frustration at pavement being welcomed at tender). Cut and cover methods were used, both peak times as queues built up. Not long Some of the hydraulically bound stretches being designed to full motorway after the opening, a somewhat alarmed of carriageway proved unpopular, standards, but with a lid. Holmesdale DoT commissioned an independent report providing a ride of indifferent quality and tunnel (the one at Waltham Cross) ended on current and future traffic demands. generating high levels of noise. Concrete up carrying the A1010 Waltham Cross High Compiled by consultant Rendel, Palmer & pavement between the turn-offs for Sutton Street, a park and recreational area. Tritton, ‘M25 review summary report’ was and – some of the last created Beyond all this, four service areas were published in 1989 and looked specifically – was also criticised in the press as “looking announced in July 1984, at Clacket Lane, at traffic build-up and measures to reduced like hastily cast Second World War runway”. Surrey; , ; South congestion. Suggestions included hard As time went by, much of the concrete was Mimms, and , shoulder running, apparently... either replaced by flexible construction or . None was operational at the time received asphalt surfacings. the M25 was opened. The success of the Project photos courtesy of ICE 24 M25 – Now Transportation Professional October 2011

Boosting capacity on Britain’s busiest motorway

New concrete safety barrier is formed in the central reserve of the M25, as three lanes remain open to traffic on each carriageway

Major upgrades are under way to increase capacity on Britain's busiest motorway, the M25. Mike Walter speaks to Highway Agency major projects director Nirmal Kotecha and then details the activities taking place around the route.

une 2012, ahead of next summer’s £6.2Bn contract, let to the road building running lanes forms part of the Highways Olympic Games, represents a crucial and financing consortium Connect Plus, Agency’s ‘Managed Motorway’ concept. Jdeadline for completion of two phases to provide additional capacity on the M25 Other sections of M25 will simply see the of widening taking place on separate and to manage and maintain the route – introduction of variable speed limits, stretches of the M25. Three lane dual as well as the and displayed on new overhead gantries – an carriageway is being enhanced to dual strategic roads within the M25 to the approach referred to as ‘Controlled four lane on two sections of the motorway boundary – until Motorway’ and already used on the orbital through Hertfordshire and Essex. 2039. For now, conventional widening is route near Heathrow Airport. Speed limits Motorists travelling on two other parts the focus. This takes place from junctions reduce automatically if sensors in the road of the M25 will in future years make use of 16 (the M40) to 23 (the A1M) and between detect congestion, and control centre staff hard shoulders during heavy congestion, junctions 27 (the M11) and 30 (the A13). monitoring the route can manually trigger and vehicle speed limits will reduce at Elsewhere, between junctions five and a speed change if they are aware of busy times to smooth traffic flow. seven, and between 23 and 27, converting incidents further ahead. The Highways Agency is two years into a lengths of hard shoulder into occasional But why is the M25 upgrade necessary? October 2011 Transportation Professional M25 – Now 25

My M25 memory: balaclava to wear under my safety hat to Ken Wallis keep my ears and nose warm. Standing Easter Road on the tops of buildings with the wind Construction Unit blowing was not very pleasant. I helped design a I also remember a public inquiry for section of route this section of motorway, where one between Waltham objector stated that he didn't believe the Cross and Brentwood, and was involved motorway would be used as it would put in a setting out survey for the Holmesdale too many miles on a journey. Now the Tunnel. The weather was so cold that one M25 is being widened to four or more lunchtime I had to find a shop to buy a lanes. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

originally planned for four sections of the improve fire safety standards. And it is M25 that had been earmarked for planned to introduce ‘free flow’ payment improvement. But a decision was taken mechanisms to collect the charge at the prior to the 30 year M25 DBFO contract Dartford plazas to move away from cash being let to upgrade, operate and maintain payments. The Department for Transport the orbital route that only two sections is consulting on raising charges to fund should be widened. The two remaining future capacity improvements, which may Managed Motorway sections are due to or may not see a new crossing built. This commence within the next three years. summer, the Agency began a six month So why the change? “At the time, a trial of suspending charges at the Dartford successful trial of Managed Motorway on Crossing during severe congestion. the M42 was coming to a close,” Mr Work has also begun to build a new Kotecha continues. “The success of this for the M25 near allowed us to develop a programme to roll Cobham in Surrey, funded by a private out the Managed Motorway model to developer. The Highways Agency is other parts of the network including the building link roads to the service area from two remaining sections of the M25. The both sides of the M25 carriageway, and an M42 pilot demonstrated an improvement under bridge beneath the M25, again in journey time reliability and reduced the funded by the developer. Opening of the number of accidents by more than 50%. new service area will bring to an end a “Of equal significance is that a Managed 100km hiatus between service areas to the Motorway solution costs a lot less than south west of the orbital route. conventional widening. In the current financial climate we have to look for Orbital upgrade takes shape economically viable solutions,” he adds. Widening is currently taking place on two But why provide additional capacity to stretches of the M25. Ambitions to widen “By far and away this motorway is the the M25 – through widening and hard the M25 as quickly and economically as busiest on our strategic network and the shoulder running – when demands to use possible have led the delivery team on most critical in terms of the future the motorway could be controlled through ‘Section One’ of the widening between prosperity of the UK,” explains the mechanisms such as ? “Road junctions 16 and 23 through Hertfordshire Highways Agency’s major projects director pricing is not part of Government policy to adopt fast construction techniques and Nirmal Kotecha. “The M25 is used by and is unlikely to be on the agenda for the make best use of reprocessed materials. between 150,000 and 200,000 vehicles foreseeable future,” says Mr Kotecha. “We That team is Highways Agency and the every day and pressure on the M25 did look at something different: a pilot of Skanska Balfour Beatty construction continues to increase. ‘integrated demand management’ which joint venture. “It is part of our mandate to have a focused on controlling entry onto the Slipformed concrete is being used to strategic network that is fit for purpose. We motorway at peak times using traffic save time building a number of retaining are doing our best to cope with additional signals and working with local authorities walls beside the widened carriageway as demand through the investments we have to synchronise with their systems. We are well as creating safety barriers in the made and those we continue to make. working with a local authority to explore central reserve. Steel for sheet piles is from “We understand that the work we are how we can better align effective recycled sources. Demolition waste has doing causes some inconvenience to management of the local and national been brought to site to be crushed, drivers, however we are doing all we can to roads to improve reliability for road users.” screened and used to provide the 2.4Mt of minimise disruption. The work is Elsewhere, work was completed in aggregates required. And all the 2.3M.m3 of progressing well and we are confident that March 2010 to refurbish the Bell Common soil to be excavated from beside the we will finish on time and within budget, tunnel and in September 2007 the carriageways will be reused on the project. and that road users will see the benefits.” Holmesdale tunnel. Work is also taking “This is similar to most widening jobs Conventional motorway widening was place inside the Dartford tunnels to apart from the fact we are dealing with > October 2011 Transportation Professional M25 – Now 27

> up to 200,000 vehicles using the M25 each day, and the project is fast,” says M25 improvements under way and planned Geoff Chatfield, Highways Agency project manager who is responsible for Section 21A21A

One. “We have been looking at techniques 2323 2727 which allow us to do the job more quickly, but it also needs to be done appropriately and give value for money.” Key: Construction director Mick McCarry Widening completed (MCIHT) from the Skanska Balfour Beatty Widening under way 2929 1616 M25 Joint Venture, part of the Connect ‘Managed Motorway’ (hard shoulder running) planned Plus consortium, adds: “This is the fastest J10-16 ‘Controlled Motorway’ (variable speed limits) planned construction programme for a motorway Existing ‘Controlled 3030 widening I have ever seen in over 30 years. Motorway’ We are completing over a mile of motorway widening every month. The job “This is the fastest 1B1B does not sleep and there is a tremendous construction programme for amount of work carried out at night to a motorway widening I have 3 make sure plant and materials are in place 3 ever seen in over 30 years.” ready for the next morning.” Mick McCarry Forward planning plays a big part in keeping the project on schedule. But the 1010 SS speed of works is also due to the huge Cobham service area 55 number of operatives and engineers on 77 site and a wealth of resources made available. “On this section alone there are currently 450 operatives, around 120 eight sheet piles is driven to full depth while an wheeled lorries and up to five slipform alternate pair of piles is driven to a shorter pavers and piling rigs in action at any one length. Every tonne of sheet pile saved time,” he adds. quickens the programme and reduces Widening of the M25 through overall costs, according to Mr McCarry. Hertfordshire takes place almost As well as the sheet piles, retaining walls exclusively within existing highway are being created using slipform corridor and very little land has been techniques that do not require bought to create an additional lane beside reinforcement. Slipform walls can also be each carriageway.Where the route passes built throughout the night to speed the through cutting, this inevitably means construction programme. “We can have making slopes steeper and building up to 10 gangs doing nothing but feeding retaining wall structures. concrete in up to five machines 24 hours a day,” adds Mr McCarry. “Onerous requirements Use of slipform on a motorway upgrade have been placed on the is not unusual, but the height to which the contractor to get all the walls have been built on Section Four is work finished on one impressive. The Joint Venture’s managing phase before they start director David Blackburn explains: “We work on another.” believe that this project features the largest Geoff Chatfield Sheet piles: fabricated from recycled steel horizontally slipformed wall ever built, Sheet piles are used extensively on standing at 2.35m high. Engineers spent flanked by retaining walls, such as where Section One for this purpose and the four months trialling techniques, working the motorway passes beside agricultural construction team chose recycled steel for to get the concrete mix just right to fields. In some cases, land alongside the their fabrication to reduce cost. A bulk achieve that height.” Five different blends M25 has been leased from a farmer and order of 35,000t of the material was placed of sand were tried and tested before the the existing embankment widened to with a European manufacturer for use on construction team arrived at a accommodate noise and visual mitigation both Section One and also Section Four of consistency of concrete that would bunds. When works are complete, land is the M25 upgrade through Essex (junctions produce a stable and acceptable finish, reinstated and returned for farming use. 27 to 30). The team also specified an with concrete strengths of up to 60N/mm2. Construction works on Section One also unusual technique for installing sheet Construction of such a high retaining wall make good use of demolition waste such piles which is designed to reduce the allowed the majority of the cut slope to as rubble from building sites, which is overall length of piles required. A ‘king remain in place. used as aggregate, and crushed glass has post’ system is used, whereby every pair of Not all of the widened route will be been used for drainage and fill material. > 28 M25 – Now Transportation Professional October 2011

> Large quantities of material are brought to site in good time and processed by the Structures pose challenges M25 team. “Around 92% of aggregates on this job are from recycled sources,” adds Bridges carrying vehicles over the M25 on Mr Blackburn. “We are not only making Section One of the motorway upgrade are good use of waste that may otherwise have being retained, apart from an ageing gone to landfill, but it means that we have concrete footbridge which was replaced. a ready stockpile of aggregates so we are Where space to widen the route is tight, not relying on local suppliers to deliver.” hard shoulders are discontinued beneath bridges. Under some structures, an extra “We believe that this lane has been created around the back of a project features the bridge pier for use by emergency vehicles. largest horizontally Of the bridges carrying the motorway, by slipformed wall ever far the most challenging structure on built, standing at Section One to be widened was the Berry 2.35m high.” Deck drilling at Berry Lane Viaduct Lane Viaduct near . The David Blackburn 230m long structure had 42 new bridge old as that could cause crossheads to For the most part, widening on Section beams secured to it. fracture. To minimise deflection, we installed One is carried out in a symmetrical Concrete columns up to 16m high support additional piles for the new sections.” fashion, with one new running lane added new crossheads, which have been stitched to Construction director Mick McCarry adds: beside each carriageway. But there are the side of the viaduct using steel tie bars. “Berry Lane viaduct made use of 55,000 exceptions where the proximity of nearby “Widening the viaduct required a very falsework components. The valley it crosses housing estates precludes new complicated engineering solution,” said was full of scaffolding. Stitching the new construction on one side, such as at managing director of the Skanska Balfour lane to the existing bridge was a detailed . Here, two lanes were built Beatty M25 Joint Venture David Blackburn. exercise; we had to drill all along the deck beside one carriageway, and the central “The existing bridge was founded on spread on both sides. The tell tale sign that this reserve realigned. footings and we could not allow differential work was a success is that the surfacing over Section One has been subdivided into settlement between the new section and the the viaduct looks very good after a year.” three phases, of which the first two (junctions 16 - 18 and 18 - 21a) are now finished. Work is taking place between My M25 memory: during the day. The workspace under junction 21a (with the A405) and junction Liz King the old deck was a hazardous confined 23 (the A1M). Running lanes for traffic Transportation space with the only access being have been temporarily reconfigured. One Director, Mott through manholes. lane of vehicles travels in contraflow on MacDonald The headroom was a maximum of the carriageway opposite to the works site Replacing more than about 1.8m, there were two 275kV and motorists negotiate slightly narrower 1km of road deck in nitrogen cooled electricity cables either lanes. Standard lane widths of 3.65m are, the west Dartford tunnel was seriously side of the spine wall, and asbestos however, later reinstated on completion of challenging. All the work was done at lined the ventilation ducts adjacent to the widening. night, keeping the tunnel open to traffic where we were saw cutting. No traffic management or lane closures remain in place on the phases where and modifications will then follow to the reduce the number of times workers have construction works have ended. Mr central reserve. Areas where there is to cross the carriageway to maintain Chatfield says: “Onerous requirements insufficient room to accommodate new equipment.” have been placed on the contractor to get construction on the verges will lead to the New lighting columns are being all the work finished on one phase before narrowing of the central reserve from the installed where there were none before. they start work on another. There is no standard width of 4.5m down to as little as Lanterns direct all illumination on to the going back, for example, for landscaping 2.6m. Use of concrete safety barriers in the road thereby preserving the dark sky and work which would require traffic central reserve ensures compliance with minimising energy waste. Enhanced management. Our aim is to maximise the vehicle containment standards. drainage systems are being installed to availability of carriageway for drivers." Overhead gantries specified on the cope with a one in 30 year storm. Where traffic management is in place, contract, span from one verge to another Cost efficiency is central to the job. CCTV cameras monitor the site looking with no supporting pier. There are 133 Existing carriageway will not be resurfaced out for incidents. When alerted, the such gantries on Section One, including to tie in with new construction, unless it is recovery team has a duty to be at the two which are said to be the longest ever necessary, or if hot rolled asphalt (out of scene of incidents within 15 minutes. seen on the UK motorway network, at just favour with the Highways Agency on noise Work is currently taking place on verges shy of 70m. “We try to avoid putting things criteria) is present. “If the surfacing still beside the clockwise carriageway of the in the central reserve and this includes has life in it and is doing what we want in M25 near .When complete, lighting, which is installed beside the terms of skid resistance and noise activity will switch to the opposite verge verges,” says Mr Chatfield. “The idea is to properties, we retain it,” says Mr Chatfield. 30 M25 – Future Transportation Professional October 2011

What does the future hold?

What will the M25 look like in another 25 years’ time? Jon Masters investigates.

et us suppose that the UK’s current debt crisis will ease, leading to a Relief on the way for Dartford Crossing Lperiod of sustained and significant economic growth. Also, imagine a picture of traffic levels increasingly untempered by the price of oil as alternative power for vehicles starts to compete properly with the petrol pumps. So how will the M25 look in 25 years’ time? There is no doubt that many parts of London’s orbital motorway are operating at or beyond current capacity at peak times of traffic flow. But the Highways Agency has in place a programme to improve reliability and increase capacity. Widening is under way along northern sections with the provision to introduce further sections of Controlled Motorway technology, which will be used to apply variable mandatory speed limits to regulate traffic speeds and maintain flow at peak times. Southbound booths and barriers may be removed at Dartford to ease traffic flow

“Controlled and There are three aspects to Government’s likelihood cross the Thames east of Managed Motorways hopes for easing congestion at the critical where the river is wider. A new road will be are an efficient way Dartford River Crossing. For some immediate needed to connect the crossing to the M25 in of improving reliability relief, the Highways Agency is currently Essex and the M2 and M20 in Kent. and increasing piloting a scheme whereby tolls are Proposed toll increases would also fund the capacity.” suspended to allow vehicles through without third aspect of the Dartford plans – freeflow Derek Turner charge when an emergency has created or is charging. DfT has asked the Highways likely to create particularly severe congestion, Agency for proposals for this – envisaged by The Highways Agency’s network defined as continuous tailbacks reaching the Department’s business plan as up and delivery and development director Derek junction four to the south and junction 28 to running by the end of 2013. “The idea is for Turner is confident of the approach. He the north. Traffic has to be slow moving in removal of the southbound booths and says: “Controlled and Managed these queues for the charge to be lifted. barriers, but with some control retained on Motorways are an efficient way of Reviewing options for a new Lower Thames the northbound side. This is because the improving reliability and increasing Bridge is the second aspect of the plans. Over capacity for vehicles on the carriageway capacity on the network. We can expect two proposed stages due to start later this approaching the tunnels exceeds that of the that will be the direction of travel for our year, crossing charges would rise to contribute tunnels themselves,” says Highways Agency improvements programme.” funds to what would be a major new piece of network delivery and development director Traffic growth on the M25 has been infrastructure. An additional bridge will in all Derek Turner. lower than that experienced elsewhere, says the Highways Agency. The National Transport Model that economic recession taken into account has been limited. During the pre-recession underlies the traffic forecasts is complex. A and middling figures for population and years of 2003 to 2007, overall growth on substantial number of different variables oil price used, traffic on strategic roads the M25 totalled only 0.5%, which equates contribute to the calculations, including is still predicted to potentially grow by to just over 0.1% per year. likely additional road capacity. Greatest 46% by 2035. Bartlett Professor of Planning & weighting is given to factors of GDP, This is an overall figure for all English Regeneration at University College population growth and the cost of driving motorways and major trunk roads. London Sir Peter Hall has his own view of (taking in fuel prices and efficiency). According to the Highways Agency, the future. “Driving around the M25 will Assumptions have to be made on all three, despite the M25 being a vital section of not be like what we know now,” he says. according to DfT’s latest forecast report, this network inexorably linked to the UK’s “Significant additional physical capacity is which shows that even with the recent economy, traffic growth on the motorway unlikely. Government has indicated that > October 2011 Transportation Professional M25 – Future 33

> the Managed Motorway approach will be junction 16 of the M25 where Controlled UK political picture is very different. The the way to go. As traffic increases we can Motorway is in place. On the M42 – where Department for Transport has ruled out expect vehicles eventually to be often moving Managed Motorway with hard shoulder charging on existing roads. Could the at 40MPH under these signalled conditions.” running was piloted – ‘journey times are now political outlook change? “Fuel changes may In reality, the 40, 50 or 60MPH speeds more reliable and accidents have more than come,” says Professor Hall. “With a viable displayed on the steel gantries across the halved’, the Agency says. economic and ecological alternative to the motorway will only come into effect at the Professor Hall believes technology could combustion engine some would say the busiest times, with the aim of ensuring traffic aid traffic flow even more. “Advances in argument against car use is no longer valid, flows as smoothly as possible. technology could bring greater automation but even so, it will remain inefficient Evidence from locations where this with cars programmed to respond to signals compared to alternatives.” technology is already installed points to on gantries,” he says. Could there be a point where traffic on the operational advantages. The Highways In other countries, such as the US, acute M25 increases to the point where the Agency reports frequency of collisions to is being tackled with tolls capacity of junctions built in the 1970s and have fallen 10% between junction 10 and and high occupancy vehicle lanes, but the 1980s is reached or exceeded? This is not something the Highways Agency foresees. Tim Smith network and set a benchmark for recycling “Major junction reconstruction is Tarmac National on future major schemes. exceptional,” says Derek Turner. “We will Contracting Upgrading our asphalt coating plant to make maximum use of existing In 2009, I contributed to a allow higher RAP content surface mix infrastructure. Junction reconstruction is pioneering initiative on required innovation and hard work, but it expensive and disruptive. Our strategy is to behalf of the Highways was certainly worth it. It’s thrilling to have use the existing infrastructure to the full, to Agency to lay the highest been part of a successful project that has sweat the ‘asset’ as much as possible. ever Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) contributed significantly towards a “The economic situation is a key driver of content road surface on the M25. At 40% sustainable future for the highways traffic growth, but I am confident that the RAP content, this was a first for the national industry. arrangements we have in place will ensure the M25 is managed well into the future.”

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Enquiry 13 Number 34 M25 – Building the Network Transportation Professional October 2011

M25 names and statistics

Out-turn cost of the M25 was almost £1Bn – a bargain price when viewed from 2011. The London Orbital was built over 14 years between 1973 and the end of 1986 by the country's top contractors.

120 0 110 10

100 0 20 180 20 160 Miles km 40 90 140 30 ORBITAL 60 711 120 80 100 km 80 40

70 50 60 Who built most of the M25 (km) 48.25 Laing 7.2 W&C French 32.6 Balfour Beatty 6.8 Wimpey 24.45 Costain 6.6 Edmund Nuttall 14.65 Bovis 6.3 Gleeson 12.55 Fairclough 4.85 Birse 11.4 Sir Alfred McAlpine 3.6 Farr 8.7 Tarmac 3.15 Cementation Where contractors shared a section the km lengths have been equally split

Completion date Section Contractor Engineer Length Tender price September 1975 J23-24 A1 South Mimms to A111 Balfour Beatty ERCU 4.3km £4.9M February 1976 J17-19 Maple Cross to Hunton Bridge Costain ERCU/Ove Arup 9.6km £5.8M February 1976 J6-8 Godstone to Reigate W&C French SERCU (Surrey) 7.2km £10.4M December 1976 J12-13 Thorpe to Egham Bovis/Fairclough SERCU (Surrey) 4.0km £9.9M April 1977 J2-3 Dartford to Swanley Laing SERCU (Kent) 5.3km £5.5M November 1979 J5 Sundridge to Westerham Gleeson SERCU (Kent) 6.3km £6.3M November 1979 J6 Westerham to Godstone Bovis SERCU (Surrey) 8.1km £8.4M March 1980 J12-13 Runnymede Bridge widening Fairclough Ove Arup - £1.7M May 1980 Dartford tunnel second bore Balfour Beatty Mott Hay & Anderson 2.2km £33.4M July 1980 J5 Sevenoaks interchange Cementation SERCU (Kent) 1.5km £7.2M October 1980 J11-12 Chertsey to Thorpe Bovis SERCU (Surrey) 3.8km £7.6M June 1981 J24-25 A111 Potters Bar to A10 Waltham Cross Sir Alfred McAlpine GLC 8.5km £15.8M November 1981 J13 Egham to Yeoveney Bovis/Fairclough SERCU (Surrey) 1.5km £9.9M December 1981 J31 Stifford Road to A13 Mar Dyke Laing Mott Hay & Anderson 2.2km £11.0M April 1982 J29-31 A127 to Stifford Road Laing Mott Hay & Anderson 4.0km £7.2M August 1982 J14 Yeoveney to (Airport Spur) Balfour Beatty SERCU (Surrey) 3.2km £14.8M April 1983 J27 M11 to A113 Passingford Bridge Costain Atkins/ERCU (Essex) 4.6km £21.2M April 1983 J28 A113 Passingford Bridge to A12 Brentwood Laing Ove Arup/ERCU (Essex) 8.3km £19.8M April 1983 J28-29 A12 Brentwood to A127 North Ockendon Costain Mott Hay & Anderson 8.6km £31.1M December 1983 J10-11 to Chertsey Balfour Beatty Atkins 9.4km £20.7M January 1984 J25 A10 Waltham Cross to River Lee Tarmac Maunsell/ERCU (Herts) 2.9km £28.6M January 1984 J26 River Lee to A121 Tarmac Maunsell/ERCU (Herts) 3.2km £13.1M January 1984 J26-27 A121 Upshire to M11 Theydon Garnon Laing Maunsell/ERCU (Herts) 6.6km £29.1M September 1984 J9 Leatherhead interchange Balfour Beatty Atkins 4.4km £14.3M January 1985 J16-17 M40 to Maple Cross Laing Halcrow/ERCU (Bucks) 7.7km £20.0M January 1985 J16 M40 interchange Tarmac Halcrow/ERCU (Bucks) 2.6km £21.1M July 1985 J15-16 M4 to M40 Iver Heath Wimpey Halcrow/ERCU (Bucks) 6.8km £25.3M August 1985 J10 Leatherhead to Wisley Fairclough Atkins 6.9km £17.2M September 1985 J8-10 Reigate to Leatherhead Birse/Farr Atkins 7.2km £14.6M December 1985 J3-5 Swanley to Sevenoaks Laing Kent County Council 12.9km £38.5M December 1985 J14-15 Poyle (Airport Spur) to M4 interchange Cementation/Costain Atkins 3.3km £44.5M September 1986 J21 Bedmond Road to A405 Bricket Wood Balfour Beatty Colquhoun/ERCU (Herts) 3.1km £17.7M September 1986 J1A-2 Dartford Tunnel Southern Approach Laing/Birse Kent County Council 2.5km £15.9M October 1986 J19-20 Micklefield Green to Bedmond Road Sir Alfred Mcalpine/Fairclough Colquhoun/ERCU (Herts) 5.8km £26.8M October 1986 J21A-22 A405 Bricket Wood to London Colney Edmund Nuttall Colquhoun/ERCU (Herts) 6.6km £15.2M November 1986 J22-23 London Colney (The Bell) to A1 South Mimms Balfour Beatty Colquhoun/ERCU (Herts) 6.0km £21.5M

Data source the Motorway Archive Trust