From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18751083

*M4 motorway London to Heathrow section closed*

The main motorway link from London to Heathrow Airport has been closed
to all traffic after a crack was found in a "sensitive area" of the
road structure.

The M4 is shut between junctions one and three and is not expected to
reopen until Thursday morning.

Large vehicles were already banned from the elevated section, known as
the Boston Manor Viaduct.

The Highways Agency said it expects all work to be finished before the
start of the Olympic Games later this month.

The full closure of the motorway in both directions between Chiswick
and Feltham began at 20:00 BST on Friday.

*Vital route*

Restrictions on vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes had been in
place since March when hairline cracks were discovered in some of the
steel beams.

The agency said on Friday workers "found a further crack in a
sensitive location which requires us to keep the viaduct closed until
the repair is complete".

Jon Caldwell from the Highways Agency warned there would be delays.

Diversions have been put in place along the A312 and the A4, and the
A40 is expected to be congested as well.

"The repair works that we need to do, to bolt the plates to the
decking, needs to be done with no traffic on it," Mr Caldwell told the
BBC.

"We need to do it now so that it's all completed ready for when the
Olympic traffic starts to use the road in a few weeks' time."

The M4 is the main route between Heathrow Airport and central London
and will be vital for transporting visitors into the city for the
Games.

It is also the major road link from London to the West Country and
Wales, as well as being a heavily-used commuter route.

Just before Christmas, the Hammersmith Flyover - part of the same
route in and out of the capital - was closed for five months after
defects were found with its structure.

London's commercial radio stations have been reporting all day
about the massive traffic problems caused by the M4 being
closed. We are led to believe that all will be completed and
back to normal by Thursday.

On Mon, 9 Jul 2012 17:43:05 +0100, Robin9
wrote:


London's commercial radio stations have been reporting all day
about the massive traffic problems caused by the M4 being
closed. We are led to believe that all will be completed and
back to normal by Thursday.

Let's hope that's true. But Olympics arrivals have already commenced
-- let's hope they used the Tube to get into London.

On 09/07/2012 22:30, Recliner wrote:

On Mon, 9 Jul 2012 17:43:05 +0100, Robin9
wrote:

London's commercial radio stations have been reporting all day
about the massive traffic problems caused by the M4 being
closed. We are led to believe that all will be completed and
back to normal by Thursday.

Let's hope that's true. But Olympics arrivals have already commenced
-- let's hope they used the Tube to get into London.

Many are arriving with a fair bit of kit...

On Jul 10, 12:03*am, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 09 Jul 2012 22:30:09 +0100, Recliner

snip

AIUI Heathrow Express is the official rail service for Olympics
traffic arriving at Heathrow.

snip

Paul C

Jeeze - that means that means that the thousands of athletes and
supporters et al will be arriving at Paddington and will then have to
lummox all their luggage from platforms 6/7/8 round to 12 to get
taxis. But 12 is immensely congested due to the various flows of pax
to and from 13/14. And Paddington is also a building site all along
platform 12 yet again for Crossrail. Welcome to Britain - not.

CJB

In message
..com, at 01:27:57 on Tue, 10 Jul 2012, CJB
remarked:
AIUI Heathrow Express is the official rail service for Olympics
traffic arriving at Heathrow.

snip

Paul C

Jeeze - that means that means that the thousands of athletes and
supporters et al will be arriving at Paddington and will then have to
lummox all their luggage from platforms 6/7/8 round to 12 to get
taxis. But 12 is immensely congested due to the various flows of pax
to and from 13/14. And Paddington is also a building site all along
platform 12 yet again for Crossrail. Welcome to Britain - not.

That's OK, Heathrow Express will be extended to St Pancras by 2001 (it
says here - BAA map dated 1998):

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150901977076637&l=ac139aac00
--
Roland Perry

On Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:43:05 +0100, Robin9
wrote:
London's commercial radio stations have been reporting all day
about the massive traffic problems caused by the M4 being
closed. We are led to believe that all will be completed and
back to normal by Thursday.

Not any more - announced tonight that it will NOT reopen tomorrow.

Colin McKenzie

--
Cycling in the UK is about as safe as walking, and helmets don't make it
safer. Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

On Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:59:07 +0100, "Colin McKenzie"
wrote:

On Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:43:05 +0100, Robin9
wrote:
London's commercial radio stations have been reporting all day
about the massive traffic problems caused by the M4 being
closed. We are led to believe that all will be completed and
back to normal by Thursday.

Not any more - announced tonight that it will NOT reopen tomorrow.

It's a bit worrying that there's now no official target date, though
Monday is being suggested as the new must-be-reopened date.