The entire Queen Elizabeth II Bridge – which is the only way to cross the Thames East of London, and is a helpful connection for M25 drivers, and those in Essex and Kent – is set to close in a few days for routine safety checks and maintenance.
The closure will begin at 10pm on Saturday, April 26, and the bridge will reopen at 5:30am on Sunday, April 27. The National Highways have also released a separate notice which outlines further disruptions on the bridge between April – October for painting up-keep. Unfortunately for drivers, this will result in the overnight lane being barred on certain dates that have now been revealed. That being said, the company have assured drivers that the majority of their work, which aims to protect the bridge’s metalwork from corrosion, should be completed without disturbing those who use the bridge.
A National Highways spokesperson informed that with the beginning of Spring, workers will resume the painting of the QEII Bridge “to protect some of its metal components from corrosion. The painting will take place between April and October, and we’ll be able to do most of it without disrupting traffic”.
They added that they had “set up a temporary walkway access for our workers on the offside of the bridge in 2024 which will “remain in place over the coming years to provide access to most areas that need painting”.
“Sometimes, to safely access some of the other areas requiring painting, we’ll need to install overnight lane closures across the bridge between 10 PM and 5:30 AM. One lane will remain open across the bridge for traffic when we need to do this,” they added.
Whilst the closure is in effect, drivers heading southbound will be diverted through the east tunnel, whilst those travelling north will be able to use the west tunnel – only if their vehicle is less than 4.8 metres (15’9″) in height. Transport that is above this height must take a different diversion which goes through the M25 clockwise.
Drivers can expect regular closures of the tunnel over the next few weeks and look to the National Highways site for guidance on its planned working dates. This closure and expected delay follows Saturday’s incident where the M25 ground to a halt on April 12 due to a crash.
The result of this was two shut lanes between J29 in Upminster and J30 in Thurrock, causing serious delays. Simultaneously, a part of the A3 was closed over the weekend between the M25 Junction 10 and A3 Wisley interchange, due to road works that finished yesterday. The section is now back to normal.
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