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Work on a section of the M25 has been completed and the road has reopened eight hours ahead of schedule, ahead of Monday’s rush hour.
The “unprecedented” daytime closure of one of the country’s busiest stretches came into effect at 21:00 GMT on Friday.
The five-mile stretch was to remain closed until 6 a.m. Monday.
But shortly after 10pm on Sunday, National Highways South-East said the highway was open in both directions following the demolition of the Clearmount Bridge.
Drivers had been warned to avoid driving on this stretch of motorway over the weekend and there were fears of major traffic jams and long waiting times.
But National Highways project leader Jonathan Wade said drivers “had taken our advice on board, which reduced traffic levels by more than 50% and meant the time added to journeys was around 30 minutes”.
He added that he was “delighted” that the work had been completed ahead of time.
“Thank you all for your cooperation, which has made the completion of this important project to make travel safer and reduce pollution much easier.”
National Highways said this was the first of five closures between now and September and that the date of the next one would be announced “very soon to give people as much notice as possible”. The works are part of a £317m motorway upgrade.
Carriage closures were in place along and between junctions 10 and 11. Before the weekend people were told to only use the M25 if “absolutely necessary”.
The carriageway between junctions 9 and 11 carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction between 10:00 and 21:00 on weekends, according to National Highways.
This weekend’s work led to the first planned daytime closure of the M25, which circles London, since its opening in 1986.
An 11.5 mile detour route was created to direct traffic onto the A roads; while some locals visited the empty highway to take selfies.
Amanda Boote, of Woking Council, told the PA news agency: “It’s actually been a lot better than we expected, it’s not at a standstill like we thought it would be.
“It’s been rebuilt a little bit, but it’s no different than it normally would be. In fact, the residents are very happy, they’ve slept well because at night it’s very quiet.”
There will be four more daytime closures of the M25 until September.
The project, due to complete in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes at Junction 10, which is one of the busiest and most dangerous motorways in the UK.