M4 weekend closures in January 2022 you'll want to avoid if you can

Smart motorway works on the M4 are set to continue in 2022 with work due to be completed during the course of the new year.

There will be a number of weekend closures in place during January but drivers celebrating the new year will be spared disruption to their journeys, as no closures are planned from Friday, December 31 to Monday, January 3.

Work on the smart motorway, between junction 12 at Theale and junction 8/9 at Maidenhead, is now complete with all temporary restrictions removed. Variable speed limits are in place and drivers who come into difficultly can use one of 29 emergency stopping spaces.

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The roadworks are part of a £848m project by National Highways (formerly Highways England) to convert the M4 into four running lanes between junction 3 for Hayes and junction 12 for Theale. Once the smart motorway is fully open there will be emergency stopping spaces approximately every 1.3 miles.

Works are continuing in 2022, between junction 8/9 and junction 3.

The first full weekend closure of the year on the M4, will be from Friday, January 7 to Monday, January 10.

The motorway will be closed in both directions between junction 4b at the M25 to junction 5 at Langley. The closure will begin at 8pm on the Friday, with the road due to reopen by 6am on the Monday morning.

Drivers will be diverted off the motorway and should follow a signed diversion. They are urged to allow extra time for their journeys and to expect delays.

The M4 will be closed for an entire weekend between junctions 3 for Hayes and 4b for the M25.

The closure, in both directions, will begin at 4am on Saturday, January 15 and the road is due to reopen at 6am on Monday, January 17.

Drivers travelling towards the M25 and Heathrow Airport will be affected by the latest closure.

All traffic will be diverted off the M4 and onto the A312, A40 and M25 or this route in reverse.

The M4 weekend closure is not due to start until the early hours of Saturday morning but drivers can also expect delays overnight on Friday, as a couple of stretches of the motorway are due to be closed.

Smart motorway works in Berkshire will see the eastbound carriageway closed between junction 6 for Slough and junction 5 for Langley, overnight on Friday, January 14.

The carriageway and entry slip road will be closed from 8pm on Friday and the road is expected to reopen at 6am on Saturday, January 15.

The M4 eastbound carriageway will be closed overnight on Friday, January 14.

The motorway, between junction 17 for Chippenham and junction 16 for Swindon, will be closed from 10pm on the Friday. It is set to reopen by 6am on Saturday, January 15.

The closure is due to resurfacing works. The eastbound slip road onto the motorway at junction 17 will also be closed overnight.

A diversion will be in place via the A350, A4 and A3102 to junction 16.

Drivers heading towards London from Berkshire face delays as another full closure is set to take place on the M4 from Friday, January 21 to Monday, January 24.

The motorway will be closed in both directions between junctions 5 for Langley and junction 4b for the M25.

Drivers will be diverted off the M4 from 8pm on the Friday, with the road expected to reopen by 6am on Monday morning.

The closure is part of National Highways ongoing smart motorway works.

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The final weekend of the month will see another full closure on the M4 between junctions 5 at Langley and junction 6 for Slough and Windsor.

The road will close in both directions from 8pm on Friday, January 28 and is due to reopen by 6am on Monday, January 31.

There will be signed diversion in place. All motorists will be diverted off the M4 onto the A4 and A355 or this route in reverse. Other traffic should follow local diversions.

*Please note this article has been updated to reflect a change in M4 closures over the weekend of January 14 to 17. A number of additional overnight closures have been added and the start time for the full weekend closure has changed to the early hours of Saturday, January 15.

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