Sections of the M25 by date opened

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qwertyK
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Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by qwertyK »

I can’t seem to find anywhere on what sections of the M25 opened first, I know the first section was the A1178 between South Mimms and Potters Bar but what came after this? Does someone have the years of sections opened between 1975 and 86?
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Patrick Harper
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by Patrick Harper »

The first section that opened as the M25 was J6 to J8 in Feb. 1976, followed by J12 to J13 in December. The South Mimms to Potters Bar and Rickmansworth Bypass ('North Orbital Road') got motorway orders when joining sections were opened later on.

Chris's Chronology maps are probably the best reference at the moment.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by Steven »

Patrick Harper wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 00:14 Chris's Chronology maps are probably the best reference at the moment.
Or alternatively, the relevant Motorway Database page for specific motorways. For a more general list, the SABRE Wiki has some excellent work, such as Network changes - 1970s.
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From the SABRE Wiki: Network changes - 1970s :
list of the changes to the road network in Great Britain from 1970 - 1979.  Includes road openings and renumberings.


NC|1971|A165|Coniston Bypass|Yorkshire|Reported as now open by the Hull Daily Mail of 9 February 1971.NC|1971|A168|Dishforth Bypass|Yorkshire|The 1.4 mile dual carriageway from 1013 yards north-east of Duckhill Lane to Blind Lane,

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qwertyK
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by qwertyK »

Patrick Harper wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 00:14 The first section that opened as the M25 was J6 to J8 in Feb. 1976, followed by J12 to J13 in December. The South Mimms to Potters Bar and Rickmansworth Bypass ('North Orbital Road') got motorway orders when joining sections were opened later on.

Chris's Chronology maps are probably the best reference at the moment.
Thanks that was useful. Was trying to find when the section of M25 closest to me opened. (Theydon to north ockendon). Where would have a section like this terminated, there’s no junction at north ockendon
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by KeithW »

qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:58 Thanks that was useful. Was trying to find when the section of M25 closest to me opened. (Theydon to north ockendon). Where would have a section like this terminated, there’s no junction at north ockendon
J29 on the A127 as I recall. Before the M25 was competed from Dartford I used to take B186 through South and North Ockenden to the Southend Arterial road before heading for what was then the North Circular to South Woodford for the M11.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by trickstat »

I know it was completely open from the A10 to Dartford by July 1984 while none of that section was open in early Summer 1982.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

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qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:58
Patrick Harper wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 00:14 The first section that opened as the M25 was J6 to J8 in Feb. 1976, followed by J12 to J13 in December. The South Mimms to Potters Bar and Rickmansworth Bypass ('North Orbital Road') got motorway orders when joining sections were opened later on.

Chris's Chronology maps are probably the best reference at the moment.
Thanks that was useful. Was trying to find when the section of M25 closest to me opened. (Theydon to north ockendon). Where would have a section like this terminated, there’s no junction at north ockendon
As said by others, opened to the A127 first. That was my first ever motorway driving. Within about a month of passing my test in October 1982. Took the B186 through Brentwood and down to the Southend Arterial. Then a very short way on the A127 to the M25. It only ran from the A127 to the A282. South of there was also open but I was only going to Dartford (town). Hardly anyone was on this section at that time. About 2 cars per mile I would estimate. Then they spoiled my fun by joining up the rest.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by Enceladus »

I can only imagine that when the M25 was still under construction in the 1980s that the sections not yet linked up were relatively quiet compared to post-completion in 1986 - and must have been fun to , speed...erm...drive on. :driving: :driving:

I also believe that sections of the then finished but unopened M25 were used in the 1987 cult classic Withnail And I. 8-)
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by qwertyK »

multiraider2 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 14:56
qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:58
Patrick Harper wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 00:14 The first section that opened as the M25 was J6 to J8 in Feb. 1976, followed by J12 to J13 in December. The South Mimms to Potters Bar and Rickmansworth Bypass ('North Orbital Road') got motorway orders when joining sections were opened later on.

Chris's Chronology maps are probably the best reference at the moment.
Thanks that was useful. Was trying to find when the section of M25 closest to me opened. (Theydon to north ockendon). Where would have a section like this terminated, there’s no junction at north ockendon
As said by others, opened to the A127 first. That was my first ever motorway driving. Within about a month of passing my test in October 1982. Took the B186 through Brentwood and down to the Southend Arterial. Then a very short way on the A127 to the M25. It only ran from the A127 to the A282. South of there was also open but I was only going to Dartford (town). Hardly anyone was on this section at that time. About 2 cars per mile I would estimate. Then they spoiled my fun by joining up the rest.
Was J28 at Brook Street rebuilt for the M25 or was it always built with a motorway meeting the A12/A1023 in mind? Presumably it had a junction here in 1982 if it was running down to the A127?
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by Steven »

qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 17:06 Was J28 at Brook Street rebuilt for the M25 or was it always built with a motorway meeting the A12/A1023 in mind? Presumably it had a junction here in 1982 if it was running down to the A127?
Perhaps SABRE Maps might help with your query?

Remember that Ringway 4 would have passed through the junction; and (the original version of) the M12 would have terminated here.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

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qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:58 Was trying to find when the section of M25 closest to me opened. (Theydon to north ockendon). Where would have a section like this terminated, there’s no junction at north ockendon
Here it is. The full section from J27 Theydon (M11) to J29 Codham Hall (A127) opened on 22 April 1983 per The Gazette at https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/iss ... /page/5161

There is also an archive report from The Guardian on the following day at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... chive-1983 There's a map of the M25 progress and it also shows the section opened down to A127.

There's a nifty booklet "M25 at 25" by The Chartered Institute of Highways & Transport at https://www.ciht.org.uk/import/pdf/m25%20at%2025.pdf with section build detail at the back.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

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qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 17:06
multiraider2 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 14:56
qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:58

Thanks that was useful. Was trying to find when the section of M25 closest to me opened. (Theydon to north ockendon). Where would have a section like this terminated, there’s no junction at north ockendon
As said by others, opened to the A127 first. That was my first ever motorway driving. Within about a month of passing my test in October 1982. Took the B186 through Brentwood and down to the Southend Arterial. Then a very short way on the A127 to the M25. It only ran from the A127 to the A282. South of there was also open but I was only going to Dartford (town). Hardly anyone was on this section at that time. About 2 cars per mile I would estimate. Then they spoiled my fun by joining up the rest.
Was J28 at Brook Street rebuilt for the M25 or was it always built with a motorway meeting the A12/A1023 in mind? Presumably it had a junction here in 1982 if it was running down to the A127?
The Brook Street roundabout had some much later changes from the A12 exit to try to stop build up on that road, but essentially the concrete and bridges over the A12 on it are unchanged from opening in 1966 and in 1981 the M25 was just run across the top and the entry and exits from the M25 simply run down to it. The ringways plans and the original M12 were not dead in 1966 and it was certainly built too large for a junction for the simple bypassed A1023. I drove round it a couple of times during driving lessons in 1982 and the unopened bridge was already built across the top. I would certainly not like to have done so in 1983 with the M25 opened. If I recall correctly, the whole section from J29 to J27 was held up particularly by one vociferous local landowner/objector, but this was the local paper reporting and could have been complete lies. That reporting also said that they didn't want to open the road to J28 without the Section to J27 being ready. I don't really know why. The A12 provided a perfectly valid escape route for traffic exiting and it wouldn't all have been forced towards Brentwood or Romford.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

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Enceladus wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 16:15 I can only imagine that when the M25 was still under construction in the 1980s that the sections not yet linked up were relatively quiet compared to post-completion in 1986 - and must have been fun to , speed...erm...drive on. :driving: :driving:
While obviously not as busy as they were soon to become, some of the sections were certainly well used before 1986. For example, the section in the north-west from Hunton Bridge to Maple Cross that bypasses part of Watford and Rickmansworth was very handy if you were travelling from my part of the country (northern Hertfordshire) to Heathrow, Surrey, Hampshire etc.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by qwertyK »

multiraider2 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 23:15
qwertyK wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 17:06
multiraider2 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 14:56

As said by others, opened to the A127 first. That was my first ever motorway driving. Within about a month of passing my test in October 1982. Took the B186 through Brentwood and down to the Southend Arterial. Then a very short way on the A127 to the M25. It only ran from the A127 to the A282. South of there was also open but I was only going to Dartford (town). Hardly anyone was on this section at that time. About 2 cars per mile I would estimate. Then they spoiled my fun by joining up the rest.
Was J28 at Brook Street rebuilt for the M25 or was it always built with a motorway meeting the A12/A1023 in mind? Presumably it had a junction here in 1982 if it was running down to the A127?
The Brook Street roundabout had some much later changes from the A12 exit to try to stop build up on that road, but essentially the concrete and bridges over the A12 on it are unchanged from opening in 1966 and in 1981 the M25 was just run across the top and the entry and exits from the M25 simply run down to it. The ringways plans and the original M12 were not dead in 1966 and it was certainly built too large for a junction for the simple bypassed A1023. I drove round it a couple of times during driving lessons in 1982 and the unopened bridge was already built across the top. I would certainly not like to have done so in 1983 with the M25 opened. If I recall correctly, the whole section from J29 to J27 was held up particularly by one vociferous local landowner/objector, but this was the local paper reporting and could have been complete lies. That reporting also said that they didn't want to open the road to J28 without the Section to J27 being ready. I don't really know why. The A12 provided a perfectly valid escape route for traffic exiting and it wouldn't all have been forced towards Brentwood or Romford.
What number did the M25 have at this point? Was it M16?
When you say the concrete and bridges over the A12, do you just mean the bridges that carry the roundabout or are you saying a bridge for what wouild become the M25 was built in 1966 too?
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

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qwertyK wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 14:59What number did the M25 have at this point? Was it M16?
The number M16 was never used on the ground. It was used in planning but the number M25 took over from 1976 onwards.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by multiraider2 »

qwertyK wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 14:59 When you say the concrete and bridges over the A12, do you just mean the bridges that carry the roundabout or are you saying a bridge for what wouild become the M25 was built in 1966 too?
In 1966 it was clearly built with something else planned to join it because of its size, but no, there were no bridges other than the ones that carried the roundabout over the A12 in the cutting.
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by mikehindsonevans »

trickstat wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 07:36
Enceladus wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 16:15 I can only imagine that when the M25 was still under construction in the 1980s that the sections not yet linked up were relatively quiet compared to post-completion in 1986 - and must have been fun to , speed...erm...drive on. :driving: :driving:
While obviously not as busy as they were soon to become, some of the sections were certainly well used before 1986. For example, the section in the north-west from Hunton Bridge to Maple Cross that bypasses part of Watford and Rickmansworth was very handy if you were travelling from my part of the country (northern Hertfordshire) to Heathrow, Surrey, Hampshire etc.
Ditto. Funny to drive around the M25 now, 30-plus years later, remembering where the off-ramps where, along with "that was a field"...
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Re: Sections of the M25 by date opened

Post by KeithW »

multiraider2 wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 17:25 In 1966 it was clearly built with something else planned to join it because of its size, but no, there were no bridges other than the ones that carried the roundabout over the A12 in the cutting.
Ringway 3 I believe , the M25 there basically follows the route planned as Ringway 3.
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