How did fish cross the road? With a little help from National Highways as a part of its M25 Junction 28 upgrade, which recently saw 600 fish and other wildlife relocated from one side of the M25 to the other.
Ahead of work to temporarily divert a brook running through the M25 Junction 28 upgrade, environmental specialists were tasked with finding a way of moving over 12 species of fish, including a 50cm long European eel and several Bullhead fish, to make way for the M25 Junction 28 upgrade.
Some fish found in the brook including the eel were listed on the International Union for conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
To ensure the preservation of the local fish and wildlife, a team of environment specialists undertook the operation to safely gather up the aquatic inhabitants before work begins on the diversion which will allow National Highways to start installing the steel girders for both the new Maylands and Grove bridges.
Zach Pepper, Project Lead for M25 Jct 28, said: “We want to deliver the essential improvements to this busy junction while protecting the wildlife and biodiversity around us. So we’re head over eels that we’ve been able to safely relocate hundreds of fish, and other species from the brook. The brook will be returned to its natural route once work in the area is fin-ished.”
The M25 junction 28 plays a vital role in connecting the M25 with the A12, as well as providing local access to Brentwood and the A1023 Brook Street. At peak times up to 7,500 vehicles per hour pass through this heavily used junction, resulting in queues and delays.
National Highways is carrying out a number of upgrades to improve the flow of traffic, providing a safer and more integrated network for everyone, and bring real benefits to the drivers who use this junction daily. The scheme is expected to be open for traffic in summer 2025, with planting and landscaping continuing off network for a short time afterwards.
To learn more about our work to improve junction 28 on the M25, visit our project webpage: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/m25-junction-28-improvements/
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