Last Monday night I had the chance to head out with a National Highways (formerly Highways England) and Connect Plus team as they carried out overnight essential maintenance on the local stretch of the M25 during a section closure. The team I met with included the head of the M25, and I was shown work such as repairs to noise pollution barriers, stud repair, line painting, and examined the surface and joins. I also had the opportunity to examine the recent repairs to the damaged noise barrier I had raised in previous meetings with National Highways.
This visit followed several meetings in which I have repeatedly raised concerns over the impact of the motorway on noise and air pollution, and the need for improvements and repairs to the road surface and noise barriers.
Seeing the state of the road first-hand, I can appreciate what a huge job this is, and the good work the teams do to maintain especially the barriers. But it has made it even more clear to me how much we need to get the concrete surface of the motorway replaced - it is simply false economy to keep trying to patch up a road surface that is not fit for purpose and causes misery to nearby residents due to the excessive noise it generates.
Our local motorways, along with Heathrow Airport, are the lifeblood of the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency – essential in attracting world class talent to the local area, getting constituents to work, and the reason many notable businesses have based themselves here. With that advantage, however, comes several serious issues for constituents and I will continue to push for action to address the noise and air pollution that affects so many.
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