Motorists travelling along a popular stretch of the M25 motorway this weekend could face longer than average queues due to a certain vehicle passing through. According to Surrey Police planned delay on the motorway is due to be caused by a heavy goods vehicle carrying a large electricity transformer, classified as an ‘abnormal load’.
A spokesperson for Surrey Police highlighted that they will be escorting the vehicle on Saturday and Monday, both on the M25 and in Pinewood Grove.
They explained: “We will be escorting an abnormal load, an electricity transformer, through Surrey on Saturday, July 20 and Monday, July 22.
“A section of Pinewood Grove will be closed until Monday, July 22, when the load will make its final move to West Weybridge Substation, Parkside, New Haw and Addlestone.”
The electricity transformer will be carried on a truck that is around 58 metres long, about 35 metres more than the standard lorry on UK roads and double the width. As a result, the vehicle will be much more difficult to overtake than standard traffic.
Starting the journey in Luton, the truck will travel along a stretch of the M1 before travelling along the A405 and merging onto the M25 at junction 19, known as the Chandlers Cross Interchange.
The vehicle will stay on the popular motorway until junction 11 near Chertsey, a distance of around 25 miles, heading through Ottershaw and Sheerwater before ultimately reaching Pinewood Grove in New Haw.
To prevent the journey from ruining the plans of drivers in the capital, Surrey Police have advised drivers set to travel on the two affected days to consider the route they take carefully.
However, whilst the M25 is set to see heavy disruption over the weekend, not helped by the start of the school holidays causing more families to travel, National Highways recently announced that there will be no more full closures of the motorway during 2024.
The organisation suggested that, whilst some closures will take place on certain isolated days, they will give motorists a warning of at least four weeks and avoid busy holiday periods.