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Gatwick Roadworks

🕐 10th May 2019

Roadworks at Gatwick Airport, May 2019


Traffic Jam Gatwick Airport

Roadworks at Gatwick Airport, May 2019

The M23 is being upgraded to a Smart Motorway; so that by spring 2020 it will have four running lanes in each direction with a variable speed limit controlled by dynamic signage. Great news for future safety, congestion and journey times.

It is not such great news if you are heading to Gatwick Airport in May 2019 though, as a reduced speed limit of 50mph will be in place and a number of road closures will affect your journey.

We strongly advise that you add additional time to your planned journey and check this page for the most up to date travel advice before leaving.

We know there is nothing like the thought of a traffic jam when you're on the way to the airport to really sour that holiday mood. So, if you haven't already, why not book an airport hotel with us and spend the night before your flight safe in the knowledge that you can leave all those thoughts of traffic jams behind you? We offer a huge selection of airport hotels at over 25 UK airports, including 2-star, 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels, undercover hotels and hotels with family rooms. We're also the only company to personally test and review all the hotel rooms we have on offer, making sure you have everything you need to start your holiday off right.

We would absolutely recommend leaving extra time to get to the airport but why not think about booking an airport lounge just in case you didn't need those 6 hours for that 2 hour drive? There's nothing like planning for traffic and then sailing through in record time! They're really not as expensive as you might think and be smug in the knowlege that you'll have somewhere to avoid the hustle and bustle of departures and just relax before your flight.

Why not avoid the hassle of the motorway delays on the way to the airport completely and get a train to take you straight there? Did you know that Holiday Extras also offers airport by rail transfers?. Not only will you not have to worry about driving yourself to the airport, you'll also avoid those potential traffic jams and incidents on the road that that could affect your journey and result in rushing to the terminal, or even missing your flight.

Here are the full details for each affected date between 7th May and 19th May 2019:

Tuesday 7th - Friday 10th May – full closure of M23 Junction 9 northbound exit slip:

  • Traffic will be diverted off the M23 at Junction 10 and via Crawley (A2011, A23, Airport Way) to reach the airport.
  • Allow additional time for your journey.

    • Sunday 12th May - “Run Gatwick” local road closures:

  • There will be a range of local road closures in and around Crawley between approximately 08:00 and 14:00 on Sunday 12 May to facilitate Run Gatwick (map link here).
  • Diversions will be in place so allow additional time for your journey.

    • Monday 13th May – M23 full motorway closure in both directions:

  • Full southbound carriageway closure Junction 8 (M25) to Junction 9 (Gatwick). Southbound traffic will be diverted via M25 Junction 6 (Godstone), A22 and A264 to join the M23 at Junction 10 (Crawley). Traffic for Gatwick will then follow a secondary diversion via Crawley (A2011, A23 and Airport Way) to reach the airport.
  • Full northbound closure Junction 10 (Crawley) to Junction 8 (M25). Northbound traffic for Gatwick will be diverted off the motorway at Junction 10 and via the Crawley diversion.

    • Tuesday 14th May – M23 full southbound closure Junction 8-9:

  • There will be a full closure of the southbound carriageway between Junction 8 (M25) and Junction 9 (Gatwick). Southbound traffic will be diverted via M25 Junction 6 (Godstone), A22 and A264 to join the M23 at Junction 10 (Crawley).
  • Traffic for Gatwick will then follow a secondary diversion via Crawley (A2011, A23 and Airport Way) to reach the airport.
  • The northbound carriageway is unaffected by this work.

    • Wednesday 15th to Thursday 16th May – M23 full northbound closure Junction 10-8:

  • There will be a full closure of the northbound carriageway between Junction 10 (Crawley) and Junction 8 (M25) for 2 consecutive night
  • Traffic will be diverted off the motorway at Junction 10. Traffic for Gatwick will follow the diversion route via Crawley (A2011, A23, Airport Way) to reach the airport. Traffic for the M25 will follow a signed diversion via A264 and A22 to join the M25 at Junction 6 (Godstone).
  • The southbound carriageway is unaffected by this work.

    • Friday 17th to Sunday 19th May – M23 36 hour closure of westbound Gatwick Spur Road:

  • From 22:00 on Friday 17 to 12:00 on Sunday 19 May the westbound Gatwick Spur Road (from M23 Junction 9 towards the airport) will be closed. Both the northbound and southbound exit slip roads at Junction 9 will also be closed.
  • The main motorway carriageway and the eastbound Spur Road (from Gatwick towards M23 Junction 9) will remain open throughout the weekend.
  • Diversion routes:
  • Southbound traffic (from M25) will be diverted to Junction 10 and via Crawley to reach Gatwick (via A2011 Crawley Avenue, A23 London Road, and Airport Way).
  • Northbound traffic (from Brighton) will be diverted off the M23 at Junction 10 and via the same Crawley route to reach the airport. Northbound vehicles which miss the initial diversion at Junction 10 will follow a secondary diversion to M25 Junction 6 (Godstone) and return to Junction 10 via the southbound carriageway.
  • The closure is likely to cause congestion in the Crawley area. Traffic will be diverted and journeys to and from the airport will take longer than usual. Passengers are advised to plan their journey in advance and leave plenty of additional time.

    • Further information:

    You should be able to find the answer to most questions online but we would recommend taking a look at the following advice from Which? in case you miss your flight due to traffic.

    Most travel insurance policies will cover you for a missed departure but it's worth checking the wording before you leave. And if you don't have any insurance then we'd strongly recommended thinking about getting some. Holiday Extras offers award winning, comprehensive and reliable travel insurance covering a wide variety of policy options so why not give us a call to make sure you're covered?

    Useful links:

    Official Gatwick Airport Roadworks page

    AA Traffic Watch Gatwick

    If you have any questions about your booking please do take a look at our Help and Support page where you can manage your booking online. We also have a FAQ page that should answer most questions about your booking. Alternatively you can contact us online and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.