Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

The Project

A new Motorway Service Area (MSA) is being built on the M25 at Cobham.  The MSA will be accessed between J9 & J10 of the M25, some 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometres) south east of J10 in Surrey.  It will be accessible from both sides of the carriageway, and will be situated on the south-side of the carriageway.

The Secretary of State gave permission to Swayfields (the Developer) to build a new service area at Cobham in 2005, based on Government policy that recommends that service area's should be provided every 30 mins or so on main carriageways. 

The Secretary of State decided that there was a clear and compelling safety case for further motorway service area provision to serve traffic on the western section of the M25.  This was on the basis of the amount of through traffic using the motorway as part of longer journeys, and the need for long distance travellers to have the opportunity to stop every half hour or so. 

To complete the scheme, link roads will need to be built from both sides of the carriageway, and an underbridge will also be constructed under the M25.  The eastbound traffic will travel on the link roads, around a loop road and under the M25.  Westbound traffic will have more direct access and will not be required to travel under the M25 as the services are to the south of the main carriageway.

The Works

Highways works commenced on the main carriageway on Monday 23rd May 2011 between Junctions 9 and 10. Roadworks will be required to complete construction, however to ensure journey time impacts are kept to a minimum there will always be a requirement that during daytime hours there will be 4 lanes available for traffic in each direction. Traffic Management has now been introduced to the carriageway, which includes a 50 miles per hour speed limit and speed cameras will be operational. We will publish details of the traffic management and future changes on the Traffic Management page.

The Highways Works include a construction of a temporary carriageway to the south of the clockwise carriageway for 900 metres. The temporary carriageway will have four narrow lanes plus a hardshoulder and will permit the construction of the underbridge. For the duration of the works the carriageway will appear wider.

Timetable

Balfour Beatty have now been appointed as the contractor for the highways works and commenced on site on the 23rd of May 2011. Traffic Management is expected to remain on the carriageway in both directions until June 2012, with the expectation that the motorway service area will be opened shortly afterwards.