Motorway bosses have defended the decision to keep the M25 closed for 24 hours after frustrated drivers complained of being blocked for hours.
The clockwise carriageway was closed between Hertfordshire and Enfield after a lorry crashed and spilled vegetable oil onto the road on Tuesday morning (April 19).
Some drivers took to social media yesterday to complain of being trapped in the lockdown for ‘seven hours’ while others hit national highways after more chaotic scenes this morning.
The causeway finally reopened around noon today but two lanes remain closed at the scene of the spill between junctions 24 and 25.
The scene of the Tuesday oil spill. Credit: National Roads
The East of England National Highways Twitter feed has received a deluge of comments and complaints over the past 24 hours.
Some accused traffic officers of ‘incompetence’ for shutting down the M25 while another said it had been an ‘absolute nightmare’.
At least two people said they did not see anyone working at the scene around 6 a.m. One tweet said: “Why isn’t anyone working to get this cleared up and reopened? Absolute chaos.”
Other complaints included a lack of warning on motorway gantry signs about traffic problems on the M25 and the time it took for trapped traffic to be released.
One person wrote just after 4pm: “Why do you say 60 minutes late? cross slowly and then move on to cleaning!!!”
Another tweeted: ‘Hours and hours stuck. Hungry child in the car and my husband missed his flight’, while a third said: ‘We are finally home after 7 hours of waiting in traffic at a standstill.”
A truck was cleared by traffic officers to turn around. Credit: National Roads
National Highways says the oil spill cleanup operation is “complex” and said specialist contractors had to be called in to use products such as heavy-duty degreaser.
Duncan Smith, National Highways’ executive director of operations, said: “Vegetable oil is a very difficult substance to remove from the road surface. Anyone who has spilled it on work surfaces or clothes in the home will know Just how problematic it can be of the substance of one of the busiest roads in the country is no easy task.
“We have had specialist teams working on the M25 overnight and they are continuing with the clearing operation to try to fully open the road as soon as possible.”
Tuesday scene of the spill on the M25. Credit: National Roads
Mr Smith added: “I would like to apologize to everyone who has been delayed in the congestion caused by the spill and thank the drivers for supporting us as we complete the cleanup and ensure the road is safe. to drive.”
The delays weren’t just limited to the M25 with the A1, A406 and roads in and around St Albans, Potters Bar and Waltham Cross affected by the closure.
With two lanes still closed at the scene of the spill, traffic remains extremely slow on the M25 clockwise between Junctions 23 and 25.
Screenshot of heavy traffic on the M25 between Junctions 23 and 25 at 4pm on April 20 as two lanes remain closed at the scene of an oil spill. Credit: Google Maps
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-20 15:01:00
