Drivers warned ahead of M3 closures

Part of the M3 will be closed from Friday and is due to reopen on Monday so a footbridge can be installed, National Highways has warned.

The motorway will shut between junction three (Lightwater) and junction four (Frimley) for the whole weekend, while the Bagshot Heath footbridge that was demolished in 2023 is replaced.

The southbound entry slip roads are due to close at 12:00 BST on Friday, before the whole northbound carriageways shut at 19:00 and the southbound at 21:00.

The motorway is set to reopen in both directions by 06:00 on Monday, National Highways said.

National Highways has urged drivers to plan their journeys ahead.

Closures are needed after engineers found issues with the previous footbridge's ability to withstand crashes from over-height vehicles, it said.

The new, UK-made footbridge, which weighs nearly 100 tonnes and is 206ft (63m) long, will be lifted into place.

The footbridge was originally due to be installed in April, but work had to be delayed due to a now-resolved issue with the concrete.

Further work will be needed before the footbridge can be used by the public.

National Highways says this will be done during a series of overnight closures on the M3, with the footbridge expected to open later in the summer.

The lack of a footbridge has meant pedestrians have to take a 1.7-mile (2.7km) detour to get to and from Bagshot and Lightwater Country Park.

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