London’s A40 closes for a month from today – here’s the impact it will have

Businesses fear the closure of one of London’s busiest roads tonight and heavy congestion it will bring will impact their customers.

Londoners are braced for traffic misery for the next four weeks because a chunk of the A40 – one of the main arteries through west London – is closing today from 10pm.

The route, which carries nearly 100,000 vehicles a day, will be fully shut between the Westway roundabout and the Marylebone flyover for safety repairs.

This means all the traffic will be pushed onto surrounding roads trying to bypass the closure.

TfL has warned of severe delays, particularly at rush hour, along with delays on buses.

Ayman Al Zubaidi, the owner of Hijazi Corner in Marylebone, said he was concerned about how customers would get around the area for Eid, which will be marked by most of London Muslim communities tonight.

Speaking to Metro yesterday, the restaurateur said: ‘Eid is tomorrow. We will be full, and usually we are full and busy on Saturdays.

‘Most of our customers drive, some come from east London, but a lot of them from west London and places like Acton. I need to let them know about the closure.’

Others in Marylebone, which will be right at the ‘landing zone’ of the closure, seemed more resigned about the impending heavier traffic.

The manager at Italian restaurant L’Angolo Bianco in Marylebone said: ‘They are going to close it anyways, so what are you going to do? Luckily, it is not affecting our supplier. I drive, but I’m coming from a different direction so I’m not affected, and our staff are okay too.’

Meanwhile, those with local customers appeared less concerned about the impact the potential congestion could have on them.

Managers at the Aphrodite Taverna, a family-run Cypriotic restaurant frequented by celebrities in Notting Hill, an area that could see spillover traffic, said they live locally, and most of their customers and suppliers are local too.

Roads stretching from Camden to Hillingdon are set to be busier than usual, including the A4 corridor in Chiswick and the M4 and routes like the A312 and A406.

The closure of the ‘critical’ A40 road will send ‘ripples’ far and wide in London, the motoring expert AA warned.

A spokesperson from the AA told Metro exclusively: ‘The AA recognizes that this is essential safety work on one of London’s key arterial routes, but the scale and duration of the A40 closure will inevitably cause significant disruption for drivers.

‘The A40 is one of the busiest strategic roads on the TfL network, carrying close to 100,000 vehicles a day, so closing it in both directions for several weeks is likely to have a wide-ranging impact well beyond the immediate area.

‘Traffic will not simply disappear – it will divert onto surrounding routes, increasing congestion across northwest London and putting additional pressure on already busy roads.

‘Drivers should expect delays to “ripple” across the wider network, particularly at peak times, with diversion routes and local roads likely to become heavily congested.

‘While it makes sense to carry out this work in one go and avoid repeated closures, the key for motorists will be planning ahead, allowing extra time, and considering alternative routes or modes where possible.

‘This closure is a reminder of how critical major routes like the A40 are to keeping London moving – and how vulnerable the wider network can be when one of these arteries is taken out of action.’

TfL said the works, which will run until late April, were timed to coincide with the Easter break to reduce the traffic impact.

Are you affected by the closure and traffic? Email noora.mykkanen@usnewsrank.com

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