Published March 21, 2026 10:44am
Updated March 21, 2026 10:46am
London’s A40 is now closed – here’s the impact it will have on a large swathe of the capital’s roads.
One of the main roads into central London has shut, with the closure lasting little over a month.
Drivers are being warned of gridlock around large parts of the city as a result of major engineering works on the A40.
The route is closed between the Westway roundabout and Marylebone flyover to allow for the works to go ahead.
Nearly 100,000 vehicles a day normally use the route, meaning that roads surrounding the flyover are likely to become clogged up for weeks.
One driver who lives in Maida Vale said: ‘This is going to be an absolute nightmare. I have family who live in south west London and getting to them on public transport will be a nightmare. We are trapped.’
A driver who lives in Ealing told Metro that their journeys to central London will take ‘50% longer or double’ due to the closure.
Another motorist in Teddington who uses the A4 to get to Kensington said: ‘It’s going to be carnage. The roads around my office are busy at the best of times and with all the other roadworks going on, this is just going to make it worse.’
One Londoner reacted to the news of the closure: ‘That road area is absolute madness on another day – this is going to be wild.’
Map shows the traffic impact of A40 closure
Oxford Tube, the popular coach between London Victoria and Oxford, warned passengers of delays due to increased traffic.
TfL has said that it is carrying out the work over Easter when the roads are less busy.
However, the AA has warned of a ripple effect across all of London and businesses have warned it will have a significant impact on them.
An AA spokesperson said: ‘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.’
A40 closure
The primary impact zones are likely to be:
- Marylebone and Paddington: This is ‘landing point’ of the flyover. Marylebone Road, Edgeware Road and streets around Paddington Station may witness gridlock
- White City and Shepherd’s Bush: Westway Roundabout will be a major bottleneck. Long delays expected around Westfield and the Shepherd’s Bush interchange
- Hammersmith and Chiswick: The A4 corridor will likely see a significant increase in traffic as the primary alternative for traffic entering London from the M25
- North Circular (A406): Heavy volumes of traffic expected from drivers heading to the M1 or A4/M4
Other bottlenecks facing severe gridlock could include:
Scrubs Lane and Wood Lane: Impacted by traffic towards the north of the closure
Uxbridge Road A4020 and Goldhawk Road: Local relief roads for the A40
Westbourne Grove and Bayswater Road: Potential cut-throughs to avoid Marylebone
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, blamed roadworks for London being the fifth most congested city in the world.
He said: ‘At this rate we will soon be moving up the list and London could add worlds most congested city to its other credits.’
What bus routes are delayed by A40 closure?
Dozens of bus routes in London ‘are likely to be delayed’ due to A40 traffic, TfL said.
Here is a full list of the routes:
- 6, 13, 16, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 49, 52, 70, 72, 74, 94, 95, 98, 113, 139, 148, 189, 205, 207/N207, 220, 260, 272, 274, 295, 316, 452, E3, C1, SL8
Restaurant owner Ayman Al Zubaidi from Hijazi Corner, Marylebone, shared his concerns about Eid which is being marked tonight.
He said: ‘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.’
Are you affected by the closure and traffic? Email [email protected]
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
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