M4 closure this weekend for next phase of smart motorway upgrade

Part of the M4 will be shut this weekend for the next phase of work on an £848m smart motorway upgrade.

The busy motorway will be closed in both directions between junctions 5 (Langley) and 6 (Slough/Windsor) from Friday, July 31 night to Monday, August 3 morning as part of the work, which will add new technology and extra lanes.

This weekend's closure is part of a four-year upgrade on the M4, which is due to be completed in 2022. Eventually, 32 miles of motorway will be converted and 11 bridges replaced to make space for an extra lane to be created where there is no existing hard shoulder.

Much of the M4 was originally built as a two-lane dual carriageway and has been upgraded several times over the years. To limit local disruption, most new bridges will be built next to the existing ones, before the old one is demolished or a temporary bridge will be installed. Where there is not enough space for this, some bridges will be demolished first, then a new bridge built in the same place.

The M4, which is the main route between London, the west of England and Wales, is used by about 130,000 vehicles each day. Highways England says the smart motorway changes will create more reliable journeys along the route between junctions 3 and 12.

More weekend closures are scheduled in August.

Diversions for drivers this weekend

The M4 will be closed in both directions between junctions 5 and 6 from 9pm this evening (Friday, July 31) until the early hours of Monday morning (August 3) as construction of the new Datchet Road bridge begins.