Drivers planning Easter holiday journeys through Surrey face significant delays this week, as Surrey’s M25, A3, M3 and M23 roadworks converge with one of the busiest travel periods of the year. National Highways and Surrey County Council have confirmed multiple active construction zones across the county’s four main arterial routes, with lane restrictions, contraflows, and overnight full closures scheduled across the Easter bank holiday weekend. Traffic modelling by the RAC and AA projects that the roads in and around Surrey will carry peak volumes on Thursday 2 April and Tuesday 7 April, marking the start and end of the Easter getaway window.
M25: Surrey’s Busiest Road Faces Multi-Junction Disruption
The M25 carries the heaviest Easter traffic burden in the South East, and ongoing smart motorway remediation works between Junction 8 (Reigate) and Junction 10 (Wisley) continue through the holiday period. National Highways confirmed that two lanes remain closed in both directions at various points along this stretch due to permanent gantry installation works tied to the smart motorway upgrade programme. Drivers travelling between the M23 interchange at Junction 7 and the A3 intersection at Junction 10 should expect average delays of 20 to 35 minutes above normal journey times during peak hours.
Overnight full closures of the M25 anticlockwise carriageway between Junction 11 (Chertsey) and Junction 10 are also scheduled between 9pm and 6am on selected nights during the Easter week. National Highways advises drivers to use the A320 via Chertsey and Addlestone as the primary signed diversion during these overnight closures. Not publicly disclosed is the precise night-by-night schedule beyond Easter weekend — drivers should check the National Highways traffic app for real-time confirmation before travelling.
A3: Portsmouth Road Hit by Guildford Tunnel Maintenance
The A3 through Surrey carries heavy leisure traffic toward the South Coast during Easter, and Guildford Tunnel maintenance works add a significant pinch point to what is already one of the region’s most congested corridors. Lane restrictions apply in both directions near the Guildford tunnel approach, with a contraflow system in place during daytime working hours. Surrey County Council confirms these works do not involve overnight full closures over Easter weekend itself, but daytime lane narrowing will slow traffic considerably during the Thursday and Tuesday peak travel windows.
Northbound A3 drivers approaching the M25 Junction 10 interchange should also note that the merge zone narrows from three lanes to two due to ongoing verge drainage works between Wisley and Cobham Services. Reports suggest journey times on this section could double during Good Friday morning and Easter Monday afternoon, which historically see the highest outbound and return flows respectively. Drivers travelling to or from Portsmouth, Guildford, or Farnham should budget an additional 30 to 45 minutes on Easter weekend.
M3: Winchester-Bound Lanes Restricted Near Lightwater
The M3 southbound, a primary route for Surrey families heading toward Hampshire and the New Forest for Easter breaks, carries active lane restrictions between Junction 3 (Bagshot) and Junction 4 (Fleet) related to resurfacing works running through mid-April 2026. Two lanes remain open in each direction throughout the holiday period, but the reduced capacity creates a consistent bottleneck where the M3 intersects with commuter traffic from the M25 at Junction 2. The Highways England project team confirmed no full closures are planned over the Easter bank holiday weekend itself, but lane discipline signs and reduced speed limits of 50mph remain in force through the works zone.
Drivers using the M3 northbound from Winchester should note that Junction 4 slip road works for A327 Farnborough create an additional merge conflict at the entry point. Not publicly disclosed is the projected duration for the Junction 4 slip road phase, though reports suggest completion before the May bank holiday. Drivers are advised to follow the signed diversion through the B3013 if exiting at Junction 4 during peak hours.
M23: Gatwick Approach Narrows for Easter Travellers
The M23 serves double duty during Easter — carrying both leisure travellers heading south toward the coast and a high volume of airport passengers using Gatwick. Ongoing works between Junction 8 (Gatwick Airport) and Junction 9 (Brookwood) currently restrict the northbound carriageway to two lanes, creating a persistent slow point for return travellers arriving at Gatwick on Easter Sunday and Monday. National Highways confirmed these works form part of the wider A23/M23 corridor improvement scheme and will remain active through April 2026.
Southbound M23 drivers approaching the M25 merge at Junction 7 face an additional complication: the left lane closure near Hooley extends the merge from the M25 anticlockwise, forcing traffic into a single-lane funnel. Surrey Police and National Highways have jointly requested that drivers avoid the M23 junction 7 to 9 corridor between 11am and 3pm on both Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, when Gatwick arrival volumes peak. The recommended alternative for drivers not bound for the airport is the A23 through Redhill and Reigate, which remains fully open.
Planned Roadworks Schedule Across Surrey This Easter
| Road | Location | Restriction | Active Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| M25 | J8–J10 (Reigate to Wisley) | Two-lane running, smart motorway works | Throughout Easter week |
| M25 | J11–J10 anticlockwise | Overnight full closure 9pm–6am | Selected nights, Easter week |
| A3 | Guildford Tunnel approach | Lane narrowing, contraflow | Daytime hours, Easter week |
| A3 | Wisley to Cobham northbound | Lane reduction, drainage works | Throughout Easter week |
| M3 | J3–J4 southbound (Bagshot–Fleet) | Two-lane running, resurfacing | Throughout Easter week |
| M23 | J8–J9 northbound (Gatwick–Brookwood) | Two-lane running, corridor works | Throughout April 2026 |
| M23 | J7 southbound merge | Single-lane funnel, left lane closed | Throughout Easter weekend |
Best Times to Travel Through Surrey This Easter
The RAC projects Thursday 2 April between 12pm and 6pm as the single worst window for Surrey road travel in 2026’s Easter period, as schools break up and early getaway drivers merge with regular commuter traffic. Easter Monday, 6 April between 3pm and 7pm, ranks as the second most congested window, driven by return journeys from south coast destinations back through the Surrey corridor.
The best travel windows for Surrey motorways this Easter are early morning slots — specifically before 7am on both Easter Friday and Easter Monday — when works-related delays compound far less severely with traffic volume. National Highways also recommends drivers download the National Highways app or use real-time mapping tools such as Google Maps and Waze, both of which now carry live lane closure data feeds directly from the National Traffic Information Service.
