An 1800-member group named Defend Darenth Valley and the North Downs Action Group (DANDAG) argued that the link was unnecessary, it would damage an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it would be primarily used by local traffic as a bypass for the old A21 road between Farnborough and Sevenoaks.
An outer orbital route around the capital had been suggested in 1913, and was re-examined as a motorway route in Sir Charles Bressey's and Sir Edwin Lutyens' The Highway Development Survey, 1937.
An outer orbital route around the capital had been suggested in 1913, and was re-examined as a motorway route in Sir Charles Bressey's and Sir Edwin Lutyens' The Highway Development Survey, 1937.
Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan, 1943 and Greater London Plan, 1944 proposed a series of five roads encircling the capital.
The Dartford Crossing (A282 road) is part of the orbital route but is not part of the motorway. In the 1944 Greater London Plan, Patrick Abercrombie proposed an orbital motorway around London.
Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan, 1943 and Greater London Plan, 1944 proposed a series of five roads encircling the capital.
In 1951, Middlesex County Council planned a route for the orbital road through the county, passing through Eastcote and west of Bushey, connecting with the proposed M1 motorway, but it was rejected by the Ministry two years later.
In the early 1960s, this had evolved into the London Ringways project.
An alternative route via Harrow and Ealing was proposed, but this was abandoned after the council revealed the extent of property demolition required. In 1964, the London County Council announced the London Ringways plan, to consist of four concentric motorway rings around London.
By 1966, planning had started on two projects, Ringway 3 to the north and Ringway 4 to the south.
A section of the North Orbital Road between Rickmansworth and Hunton Bridge was proposed in 1966, with detailed planning in 1971.
It was originally proposed as an all-purpose route, but was upgraded to motorway standard in 1966.
The first section from Godstone to Reigate (Junctions 6 to 8) was first planned in 1966 and opened in February 1976.
After a length inquiry process, chaired by George Dobry QC, the transport minister Kenneth Clarke announced the motorway would be built as proposed. The section from the M40 motorway to the 1970s North Orbital Road construction (Junctions 16 to 17) opened in January 1985.
The lengthy series of public inquiries for motorways throughout the 1970s, particularly the M25, influenced the opening of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where the Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. The M25 enjoyed a more positive reputation among ravers in the late 1980s, when this new orbital motorway became a popular route to the parties that took place around the outskirts of London.
A section of the North Orbital Road between Rickmansworth and Hunton Bridge was proposed in 1966, with detailed planning in 1971.
Parts of Ringway 1 were constructed (including the West Cross Route), despite stiff opposition, before the overall plan was postponed in February 1972.
In April 1973, the Greater London Council elections resulted in a Labour Party victory; the party then formally announced the cancellation of the Ringways running inside Greater London.
New features included additional earth mounds, cuttings and fences that reduced noise, and over two million trees and shrubs to hide the view of the road. Construction of parts of the two outer ring roads, Ringways 3 and 4, began in 1973.
In 1973, local residents had parked combine harvesters in Parliament Square in protest against the road, draped with large banners reading "Not Epping Likely".
The section to the south, from Heathrow Airport to Rickmansworth had five separate routes proposed when a public inquiry was launched in 1974.
A section of Ringway 3 south of the river between Dartford and Swanley (Junctions 1 to 3) was constructed between May 1974 and April 1977. In 1975, following extensive opposition to some parts of Ringway 3 through Middlesex and South London, the transport minister John Gilbert announced that the north section of Ringway 3 already planned would be combined with the southern section of Ringway 4, forming a single orbital motorway to be known as the M25, and the M16 designation was dropped.
By the time the first sections opened in 1975, it was decided the ringways would be combined into a single orbital motorway.
The first section, between South Mimms and Potters Bar in Hertfordshire (Junctions 23 to 24) opened in September 1975.
A section of Ringway 3 south of the river between Dartford and Swanley (Junctions 1 to 3) was constructed between May 1974 and April 1977. In 1975, following extensive opposition to some parts of Ringway 3 through Middlesex and South London, the transport minister John Gilbert announced that the north section of Ringway 3 already planned would be combined with the southern section of Ringway 4, forming a single orbital motorway to be known as the M25, and the M16 designation was dropped.
The road was constructed to motorway standards and opened in October 1976.
The first section from Godstone to Reigate (Junctions 6 to 8) was first planned in 1966 and opened in February 1976.
A section of Ringway 3 south of the river between Dartford and Swanley (Junctions 1 to 3) was constructed between May 1974 and April 1977. In 1975, following extensive opposition to some parts of Ringway 3 through Middlesex and South London, the transport minister John Gilbert announced that the north section of Ringway 3 already planned would be combined with the southern section of Ringway 4, forming a single orbital motorway to be known as the M25, and the M16 designation was dropped.
A route was fixed in 1978, with objections delaying the start of construction in 1982. The southern section of what became the M25 through Surrey and Kent was first conceived to be an east–west road south of London to relieve the A25, and running parallel to it, with its eastern end following the route of what is now the M26.
The section of Ringway 3 west of South Mimms anti-clockwise around London to Swanley in Kent was cancelled. The section from Potters Bar to the Dartford Tunnel was constructed in stages from June 1979 onwards, with the final section between Waltham Cross (Junction 25) to Theydon Garnon (Junction 27) opening in January 1984.
At the end of the 1980s, before the advent of speed enforcement devices, owners of supercars would meet at night at service stations such as South Mimms and conduct time trials.
The racing had mostly disappeared by the end of the 1980s and could not be done after speed cameras were introduced on the M25. ==Cultural references== The M25 and the Dartford Crossing are known for frequent traffic jams.
The lengthy series of public inquiries for motorways throughout the 1970s, particularly the M25, influenced the opening of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where the Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. The M25 enjoyed a more positive reputation among ravers in the late 1980s, when this new orbital motorway became a popular route to the parties that took place around the outskirts of London.
A report in 1981 showed that the M25 had the potential to attract office and retail development along its route, negating the proposed traffic improvements and making Central London a less desirable place to work.
A route was fixed in 1978, with objections delaying the start of construction in 1982. The southern section of what became the M25 through Surrey and Kent was first conceived to be an east–west road south of London to relieve the A25, and running parallel to it, with its eastern end following the route of what is now the M26.
The section of Ringway 3 west of South Mimms anti-clockwise around London to Swanley in Kent was cancelled. The section from Potters Bar to the Dartford Tunnel was constructed in stages from June 1979 onwards, with the final section between Waltham Cross (Junction 25) to Theydon Garnon (Junction 27) opening in January 1984.
Initially a straight ferry replacement for the Woolwich Ferry, this was later changed to be a possible bridge or tunnel. ==Incidents== On 11 December 1984, nine people died and ten were injured in a multiple-vehicle collision between junctions 5 and 6.
After a length inquiry process, chaired by George Dobry QC, the transport minister Kenneth Clarke announced the motorway would be built as proposed. The section from the M40 motorway to the 1970s North Orbital Road construction (Junctions 16 to 17) opened in January 1985.
Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the longest ring road in Europe.
The route under the Chalfont Viaduct meant the motorway was restricted to a width of three lanes in each direction. The Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher officially opened the M25 on 29 October 1986, with a ceremony in the section between Junctions 22 to 23 (London Colney and South Mimms).
In the 1987 general election, the Conservatives won in every constituency that the motorway passed through, in particular gaining Thurrock from Labour.
The first, at South Mimms, was opened by Margaret Thatcher in June 1987, a week before the election.
Dense fog had descended suddenly, and 26 vehicles were involved. On 16 December 1988, several vehicles were stolen and used as getaway for acts of murder and robbery, using the M25 to quickly move between targets.
In 1990 the Secretary of State for Transport announced plans to widen the whole of the M25 to four lanes.
Three men, including Raphael Rowe were tried and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1990, but maintained their innocence.
The plans were reinstated in the agreed Highways Agency 2013–14 business plan. In June 1992, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced a proposal to widen the section close to Heathrow Airport to fourteen lanes by way of three additional link roads.
By 1993 the motorway, designed for a maximum of 88,000 vehicles per day, was carrying 200,000.
The second, Clacket Lane, was opened by Robert Key, Minister for Roads and Traffic, on 21 July 1993.
In 1994, the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Appraisal published a report saying that "the M25 experience most probably does ...
In April 1995, the Transport Minister Brian Mawhinney announced that the Heathrow link roads would be scrapped. In 1995 a contract was awarded to widen the section between Junctions 8 and 10 from six to eight lanes for a cost of £93.4 million, and a Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling (MIDAS) system was introduced to the M25 from Junction 10 to Junction 15 at a cost of £13.5m in 1995.
Prior to its liquidation, Carillion was subcontracted to manage traffic on the M25, delivering live alerts from body-worn cameras via 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi. Since 1995, sections of the M25 have been equipped with variable speed limits.
Rowe studied journalism while in prison and following release became investigative journalist for the BBC. In 1996, Kenneth Noye murdered Stephen Cameron in a road rage incident while stopped at traffic lights on an M25 junction.
This consists of a distributed network of traffic and weather sensors, speed cameras and variable-speed signs that control traffic speeds with little human supervision, and has improved traffic flow slightly, reducing the amount of start-stop driving. After Labour won the 1997 election, the road budget was cut from £6 billion to £1.4 billion.
The scheme was originally trialled between Junctions 10 and 16, and was made a permanent fixture in 1997. The Dartford Crossing is the only fixed vehicle crossing of the Thames east of Greater London.
A ten-lane scheme was announced in 1998 and the £148 million 'M25 Jct 12 to 15 Widening' contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty in 2003.
He was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
This was then extended to Junction 16 at a cost of £11.7m in 2002.
The use of the M25 for these raves inspired the name of the electronic duo Orbital. Iain Sinclair's 2002 book and film London Orbital is based on a year-long journey around the M25 on foot. A piece of graffiti on the Chalfont Viaduct, clearly visible from the M25 and reading "" (parodying John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance") became popular with the public, attracting its own Facebook group.
Since opening, the M25 has been progressively widened, particularly near Heathrow Airport. In some cases, such as the Communications Act 2003, it is used as a de facto reference to Greater London. ==Description== ===Route=== The M25 almost completely encircles Greater London and passes briefly through it to the east.
A ten-lane scheme was announced in 1998 and the £148 million 'M25 Jct 12 to 15 Widening' contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty in 2003.
In 2003, a maximum of 196,000 vehicles a day were recorded on the motorway just south of Heathrow between junctions 13 and 14.
It then runs close to the Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve before reaching the northern end of the Dartford Crossing. In 2004, following an opinion poll, the London Assembly proposed aligning the Greater London boundary with the M25.
The scheme was completed in 2005 as dual-five lanes between Junctions 12 and 14 and dual-six lanes from Junctions 14 to 15. In 2007, Junction 25 (A10/Waltham Cross) was remodelled to increase capacity.
The work is expected to be completed around 2021/22. ===Widening=== In 2006, the Highways Agency proposed widening of the M25 from six to eight lanes, between Junctions 5 and 6, and 16 to 30, as part of a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) project.
A shortlist of contractors was announced in October 2006 for the project, which was expected to cost £4.5 billion.
The scheme was completed in 2005 as dual-five lanes between Junctions 12 and 14 and dual-six lanes from Junctions 14 to 15. In 2007, Junction 25 (A10/Waltham Cross) was remodelled to increase capacity.
The total cost was £75 million. Work to widen the exit slip-roads in both directions at Junction 28 (A12 / A1023) was completed in 2008.
Contractors were asked to resubmit their bids in January 2008, and in June 2009 the new transport minister indicated that the cost had risen to £5.5 billion and the benefit to cost ratio had dropped considerably.
Again, however, plans to widen further sections to eight lanes (four each way) were scaled back in 2009 in response to rising costs.
Contractors were asked to resubmit their bids in January 2008, and in June 2009 the new transport minister indicated that the cost had risen to £5.5 billion and the benefit to cost ratio had dropped considerably.
In January 2009 the government announced that plans to widen the sections from Junctions 5 to 7 and 23 to 27 had been 'scrapped' and that hard shoulder running would be introduced instead.
However, widening to four lanes was reinstated in the 2013–14 Highways Agency Business Plan. In 2009, a £6.2 billion M25 DBFO private finance initiative contract was awarded to Connect Plus to widen the sections between Junctions 16 to 23 and 27 to 30, and maintain the M25 and the Dartford Crossing for a 30-year period. Work to widen the section between Junctions 16 (M40) and 23 (A1(M)) to dual four lanes started in July 2009 at an estimated cost of £580 million.
Works to widen the Junctions 27 (M11) to 30 (A13) section to dual four lanes also started in July 2009.
In 2009 the Department for Transport published options for a new Lower Thames Crossing to add capacity to the Dartford Crossing or create a new road and crossing linking to the M2 and M20 motorways.
In 2009, the Highways Agency reported that they were called out several times a week to remove a swan from the motorway around Junction 13.
The Junction 27 to 28 (A12) section was completed in July 2010, and the Junction 28 to 29 (A127) in June 2011, and finally the Junction 29 to 30 (A13) section opened in May 2012. Work to introduce smart motorway technology and permanent hard shoulder running on two sections of the M25 began in 2013.
The Junction 16 to 21 (M1) section was completed by July 2011 and the Junction 21 to 23 by June 2012.
The Junction 27 to 28 (A12) section was completed in July 2010, and the Junction 28 to 29 (A127) in June 2011, and finally the Junction 29 to 30 (A13) section opened in May 2012. Work to introduce smart motorway technology and permanent hard shoulder running on two sections of the M25 began in 2013.
The Junction 16 to 21 (M1) section was completed by July 2011 and the Junction 21 to 23 by June 2012.
The Junction 27 to 28 (A12) section was completed in July 2010, and the Junction 28 to 29 (A127) in June 2011, and finally the Junction 29 to 30 (A13) section opened in May 2012. Work to introduce smart motorway technology and permanent hard shoulder running on two sections of the M25 began in 2013.
The plans were reinstated in the agreed Highways Agency 2013–14 business plan. In June 1992, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced a proposal to widen the section close to Heathrow Airport to fourteen lanes by way of three additional link roads.
However, widening to four lanes was reinstated in the 2013–14 Highways Agency Business Plan. In 2009, a £6.2 billion M25 DBFO private finance initiative contract was awarded to Connect Plus to widen the sections between Junctions 16 to 23 and 27 to 30, and maintain the M25 and the Dartford Crossing for a 30-year period. Work to widen the section between Junctions 16 (M40) and 23 (A1(M)) to dual four lanes started in July 2009 at an estimated cost of £580 million.
The Junction 27 to 28 (A12) section was completed in July 2010, and the Junction 28 to 29 (A127) in June 2011, and finally the Junction 29 to 30 (A13) section opened in May 2012. Work to introduce smart motorway technology and permanent hard shoulder running on two sections of the M25 began in 2013.
The first section between Junctions 5 (A21/M26) and 7 (M23) started construction in May 2013 with the scheme being completed and opened in April 2014.
The second section, between Junctions 23 (A1/A1(M)) and 27 (M11), began construction in February 2013 and was completed and opened in November 2014. In December 2016, Highways England completed the capacity project at Junction 30 (Thurrock) as part of the Thames Gateway Delivery Plan.
Plans for this stalled, and were cancelled by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson in 2013, to be replaced by the Gallions Reach Crossing.
The first section between Junctions 5 (A21/M26) and 7 (M23) started construction in May 2013 with the scheme being completed and opened in April 2014.
The second section, between Junctions 23 (A1/A1(M)) and 27 (M11), began construction in February 2013 and was completed and opened in November 2014. In December 2016, Highways England completed the capacity project at Junction 30 (Thurrock) as part of the Thames Gateway Delivery Plan.
The stretch between Junctions 14 and 15 nearby consistently records the highest daily traffic counts on the British strategic road network, with the average flow in 2018 of 219,492 counts (lower than the record peak measured in 2014 of 262,842 counts). Traffic on the M25 is monitored by Connect Plus Services on behalf of Highways England.
He was released in June 2019. In November 2014, during overnight roadworks, a piece of road surface near Junction 9 at Leatherhead failed to set correctly because of rain.
The second section, between Junctions 23 (A1/A1(M)) and 27 (M11), began construction in February 2013 and was completed and opened in November 2014. In December 2016, Highways England completed the capacity project at Junction 30 (Thurrock) as part of the Thames Gateway Delivery Plan.
In 2016, Edmund King, president of the Automobile Association, attributed congestion on the M25 to excessive junctions.
In 2018, a new scheme was proposed as the junction had reached capacity at over 7,500 vehicles per hour.
The stretch between Junctions 14 and 15 nearby consistently records the highest daily traffic counts on the British strategic road network, with the average flow in 2018 of 219,492 counts (lower than the record peak measured in 2014 of 262,842 counts). Traffic on the M25 is monitored by Connect Plus Services on behalf of Highways England.
In September 2018, after almost 20 years, the graffiti was vandalised and then removed and replaced with the message "give Helch a break".
He was released in June 2019. In November 2014, during overnight roadworks, a piece of road surface near Junction 9 at Leatherhead failed to set correctly because of rain.
The work is expected to be completed around 2021/22. ===Widening=== In 2006, the Highways Agency proposed widening of the M25 from six to eight lanes, between Junctions 5 and 6, and 16 to 30, as part of a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) project.
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