Gridlock in west London as workmen race to repair M4 flyover before Olympics

 
Traffic chaos: West London gridlock today

Roads across London were gridlocked today as drivers struggled to find alternative routes to the closed-off M4 — and engineers raced to fix the problem before the Olympics.

Workmen are trying to repair “hairline cracks” on a key junction of the flyover after discovering damage to the main route to the Games on Friday.

A six-mile stretch between junctions two and three remains shut and is not expected to reopen until Thursday, putting huge strain on the nearby A4.

The M4 is expected to be one of the busiest routes during the Games because it links the city to Heathrow airport, where athletes and officials will begin to arrive next week. It forms part of the Olympic Network, with reserved lanes so athletes and VIPs can get to venues and bypass congestion.

A Highways Agency spokesman insisted that despite the knock-on effects of the works, the rest of the M4 was running “remarkably well”.

He said the worst problems centred around “one crack in a highly-sensitive, very stressed location” and the “brittle” parts of the Sixties steel bridge. Cracks must be ground down and filled in, or reinforced with plates.

The spokesman added: “We expect the ongoing programme of repairs will be completed to enable the viaduct to operate in its full capacity in time for the Olympic Games later this month.

The closure is a sensible precaution, given the bridge’s importance, both for people driving to and from west London and for the Games.”

During this morning’s rush hour, workmen were using scaffolding under the bridge to repair cracks on beams.

Brentford resident Tracey Lang, a nursery worker, said: “I have never seen the A4 traffic that bad before. Last night it was choc-a-bloc. It is affecting my neighbours who drive for a living.

“They do a lot of maintenance work regularly, which I must say is good, but they haven’t told us anyhow about how long it will be closed.” Car dealer Rafel Ciereszko said: “It is the main road connecting London to Heathrow so it is going to be disruptive.”

The road was closed on Friday night on the Boston Manor Viaduct between junctions one and three. Today, it reopened between junctions one and two. It follows the five-month closure of the Hammersmith flyover at Christmas.

The AA and Licensed Taxi Drivers Association accused the Highways Agency of waiting until the last minute to fix the cracks. LTDA spokesman Steve McNamara said: “We’ve had seven years to plan for the Olympics.

"The first thing someone should have done is said the road infrastructure needs a major overhaul and another Thames crossing, instead of Boris’s £45 million fairground ride” — referring to the cable car across the river.

The AA reported increased vehicles on the M40 and queues of up 15 miles on the M3, plus very heavy traffic on local roads surrounding the M4. AA president Edmund King said: “The danger is that, coming up to the Olympics, we have infrastructure problems and then something unrelated happens — like a lorry breaking down or a demonstration — and it will lead to gridlock.”

The Highways Agency said it expected the section of motorway to be closed until Thursday.

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