Highways Agency

All About The M25

Facts & Figures

• 117 miles long
• Longest city bypass in the world
• Vital to our economy and has improved life immeasurably
• Has met demands of commerce and industry with leisure and local communities
• Is our busiest road 200,000 plus vehicles daily!
• It used more than 2 million tonnes of concrete in building
• 3.5 million tonnes of blacktop
• 500,000 yards of crash barrier
• 49 million cu metres (64 million cu yards) soil were moved to build it
• It has 31 junctions
• 234 structures
• Two tunnels (Bell Common & Holmesdale)
• Dartford Tunnel forms part of the Dartford Crossing with the QE2 Bridge
• Has 452 emergency telephones
• Landscaping involving more than 2.1 million trees and shrubs
• The Stat processes for its approval involved 39 separate Pis lasting more than 700 days
• More than 15 separate contractors were involved in its completion
• Further contractors have been involved in subsequent works including the current widening works
• It has 5 Police forces looking after different sections of it
• Its worst accident was in 1984 between J 5 and 6 when more than 20 vehicles collided with each other in thick fog and caught fire
• It has links with the M26, M23, M3, M4, M40, M1, M11 as well as many core trunk roads
• There are two MSAs on the M25, Clackett Lane and South Mimms, with Thurrock just off the M25 at J31

Historical Facts

• The idea of the M25 as a London Orbital first came about in 1905, when a Royal Commission on London's traffic first suggested a ring road as a solution to the increasing number of motor vehicles!
• It was not until 1975 that the M25 was finally was finally announced by the Government of the day and the M25 as we know it started its journey to completion.

Strange But True

• Planning had its more unusual sides including the enlargement of Epping Foresters Cricket Club when the Bell Common Tunnel was built. As the tunnel encroached on the outfield, a cut and cover tunnel was constructed allowing for a new pitch and pavilion!  Near J26 was a Grade 2 listed building. It had been hoped to re-build the house away from the site, but the house disintegrated! The best solution was to re-build the house, this was duly done to satisfaction of the preservationists.

Archaeology

• The M25 inevitably cut through a number of archaeological sites. DoT  decided there should be opportunities for rescue archaeology.
• Sites were found in 6 counties, Kent Surrey, Berks, Bucks, Herts and Essex.
• The A20 and A21 works at Polhill carried out by CIB Rescue led by Brian Philp, had found both a significant Saxon Burial ground, and the original Sevenoaks Turnpike. Further works with teams from Orpington to Dover, worked non-stop to uncover not only one of the largest Saxon burial grounds, but also a Roman cremation cemetery a medieval site and a mesolithic site.
• Whilst resources were limited in other counties other interesting Bronze Age finds were found at other county sites.