So, Terminal 5 has been approved. You might think this was a good time to sort out the hopelessly inadequate road access to Heathrow (compare Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Glasgow or just about anywhere else other than England!). Well, it looks like T5 itself is going to get a new road with a rather pleasing trumpet junction off the M25 (not a roundabout, amazingly):
http://www.highways.gov.uk/info/leaflet ... wt5/14.htm(bottom right, page takes a while to load)
but, as you'll see from the other picture on this page, they've rejected more ambitious schemes for M4 junction 4 and the spur (i.e. they don't want to spend any money on the world's busiest airport) in favour of 'roundabout enhancements'. Such a frustrating attitude, no?
Rupert
Heathrow musings
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Couldn't really figure out what they're doing with the M4 Junction 4, but I like the plans for the M25 J14.
What they really need to do, though, particularly with Terminal 5 being approved, which will bring even more traffic to this already extremely overcrowded section of the M25, is to make efforts to remove unneccesary (sp?) traffic from the motorway earlier on.
Basically anything to take M4-westbound traffic off the M25 as early as possible is needed - possibly starting from Junction 12 (M3) but ideally from Junction 10 (A3).
I have a couple of ideas that might be worth considering:
1. A new motorway standard road, starting from an upgraded junction to full interchange at junction 10, following an approximate route of the A3 to the Burpham turn-off, then Clay Lane to the A320, then left onto the A320, and then along Salt Box Road, linking onto the A322, and then following the approximate route of the A322 towards the M3 (most would need to be bypassed), and then a flyover over the M3 Junction 3, following by a bypass around Bracknell and onto the M4.
2. A new limited-access junction (call it 2A) from the M3 (only going to/from the M25/London direction - no access to the SW-bound M3) leading onto a motorway-standard bypass around Bracknell and onto the A329(M) leading up to the M4. This wouldmean that Guildford to Reading traffic would still use the old route, via the original junction, which would beleft untouched for access to Bracknell and Woking from the M3. There would still be advantages for Guildford>Reading traffic, as the route would be a lot less congested, particularly at peak times, as through traffic would be using the new motorway bypass. The M3 may need upgrading to 4 lanes in each direction between junction 2 and 2A (or maybe it could be called 3A) as well, to cope with the extra traffic.
Another possibility on top of this schemes would be to build flyovers over all of the roundabouts in Bracknell, giving a much more freely flowing through route through Bracknell as well, making it easier for Guildford>Reading traffic.
Either of these schemes would ease a lot of the congestion on the M25, taking all of the long distance traffic from the west on the M4, heading anticlockwise on the M25 (Dover-bound) and vice versa.
What does anyone think?
What they really need to do, though, particularly with Terminal 5 being approved, which will bring even more traffic to this already extremely overcrowded section of the M25, is to make efforts to remove unneccesary (sp?) traffic from the motorway earlier on.
Basically anything to take M4-westbound traffic off the M25 as early as possible is needed - possibly starting from Junction 12 (M3) but ideally from Junction 10 (A3).
I have a couple of ideas that might be worth considering:
1. A new motorway standard road, starting from an upgraded junction to full interchange at junction 10, following an approximate route of the A3 to the Burpham turn-off, then Clay Lane to the A320, then left onto the A320, and then along Salt Box Road, linking onto the A322, and then following the approximate route of the A322 towards the M3 (most would need to be bypassed), and then a flyover over the M3 Junction 3, following by a bypass around Bracknell and onto the M4.
2. A new limited-access junction (call it 2A) from the M3 (only going to/from the M25/London direction - no access to the SW-bound M3) leading onto a motorway-standard bypass around Bracknell and onto the A329(M) leading up to the M4. This wouldmean that Guildford to Reading traffic would still use the old route, via the original junction, which would beleft untouched for access to Bracknell and Woking from the M3. There would still be advantages for Guildford>Reading traffic, as the route would be a lot less congested, particularly at peak times, as through traffic would be using the new motorway bypass. The M3 may need upgrading to 4 lanes in each direction between junction 2 and 2A (or maybe it could be called 3A) as well, to cope with the extra traffic.
Another possibility on top of this schemes would be to build flyovers over all of the roundabouts in Bracknell, giving a much more freely flowing through route through Bracknell as well, making it easier for Guildford>Reading traffic.
Either of these schemes would ease a lot of the congestion on the M25, taking all of the long distance traffic from the west on the M4, heading anticlockwise on the M25 (Dover-bound) and vice versa.
What does anyone think?