Southern Section
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Mostly familiar and in existence, but with a couple of significant twists that make the road we know today a different beast in appearance and purpose to its original vision, the Southern Section of Ringway 4 is an interesting case. As part of the M25, it feels different to the rest of the motorway, with a more rural feel, fewer minor junctions and a weaker connection with London and its suburbs. The northern and eastern parts of the M25 were planned to be part of Ringway 3, which is why they are closer to the central area and feel less rural.
Continues from R4 Western Section
A30 Staines & Egham
M3
A317 Chertsey
A3
A24 Leatherhead & Dorking
A217 Reigate & Redhill
M23
A22 Godstone & Caterham
A21 Sevenoaks & Tonbridge
Terminates on M20
The Route
The southern section of Ringway 4, heading south-west from the A30 at Egham, was to be very much like the M25 we know and (sometimes) love today. Just like the Western Section, it was planned and built, though much of it was done after the rest of the Ringway scheme had collapsed. It was, from the outset, to have been a dual three-lane motorway carrying the designation M25. There were a few subtle differences, however.
The motorway would have followed essentially the same line, connecting to M3 and A3. One map shows a short link motorway cutting across the south-western corner of the M25/M3 junction (shown right; click to enlarge). The first major deviation comes east of the A3. The motorway would turn south-east close to Downside and Banks Common, passing over Great Bookham Common and through Fetcham (then much less a built-up area), parallel to The Glade and Kennel Lane. It would then turn east to run alongside the A246 and A24, bypassing Leatherhead to the south and presumably interchanging with the A24, before running parallel to the B2033 to rejoin the present M25 line somewhere near the overpass carrying the B2032 Dorking Road.
Ringway 4 would then continue east to cross the M23, and interchange with the A21 at Chevening. Instead of the present free-flowing junction here, a three-level stacked roundabout would have been built, with a service area to the south-east (shown right; click to enlarge).
The motorway would then continue along what is now the M26 to terminate on the M20, either at the current M20/M26 interchange or further west, depending on the chosen line of the M20.
What is now the M25 between Chevening and the M20 was not part of the original plan and would not have existed: it and the M26 are post-Ringway alterations which were carried out to create a circular M25 route. To the north of Chevening interchange the A21 would have continued towards Orpington.
